how to ensure proper med waste in times of a pandemic!

PPE kit takes time to degrade and if not disposed off properly it becomes a bio hazardous waste disposal. The injection and other sharp metals used should be disposed off in the sharps container.

Covid19 has changed the world we know. When 2020 started who knew this is how the year will turn out to be? Everything ha changed and even if we go back to our old lifestyle we have to remain cautious at all the times. However, there is one thing, which is of utmost importance and should be paid attention to immediately. When treating Covid19 patients PPE kits, gloves, masks, injections, sterilizers and other medical things are being used. And since this is a pandemic, all the medical things that are used once, cannot be reused and as such, all of it needs to be disposed off properly. This is a big challenge because the PPE kit takes time to degrade and if not disposed off properly it becomes a biohazardous waste disposal. The injection and other sharp metals used should be disposed off in the sharps container. And this action is not only restricted to the frontline workers but on relies on us as well.

All of us are using gloves and masks on a daily basis. We are disposing them as well. You just cannot dump them in the local garbage where you throw all your regular garbage. You have to look for proper bins where you can dispose the mask and the gloves. There are many videos in YouTube that highlights the careless disposal of gloves and masks and which have turned up on the shore and the sea causing harm to the marine life. YouTube is full of these videos. In order to save and protect ourselves we just cannot cause harm to the other living beings in the environment. And thus we have to be very careful about where and how we dispose of these med wastes. 

We may recover from Covid19 but if we overlook this management of med waste, we will end up doing more harm to the environment than any kind of good. In the last few decades we have already caused irreparable damage that is hard to overlook. So it is important that we take into account all our actions from now on. Because 5 years down the line there will be no more scope for action. Whatever will be happening will be reactions to all that has happened so far.

Disposing of med waste properly has always been an area of concern for environmentalists. And with this pandemic things are going out of hand. But if each one of us does our duty and disposes of the mask and the gloves properly, we can still play the much required part and save the environment. Create awareness about this. Ask people in your life to be careful about how they dispose off these stuffs. Each one of us is accountable for our actions and the sooner we make sure that we are not causing any further damage to the environment the better it will be. If you don’t know how to dispose of these wastes properly, asks your local doctor, he will guide and advise you properly. 

How to dispose medical waste

Regardless you run a hospital, a general surgery, a laboratory or a pharmacy, you have to deal with medical waste.  This includes bags, pharmaceuticals and ampoules having traces of harmful drugs, spilled liquids and polluted body fluids or tissues. Moreover, healthcare waste may include the waste created in the course of healthcare processes undertaken by the patients at home. 

Medical waste can be classified as:

• Infectious waste: Any waste that is suspected to have pathogens in enough quantity or density to cause disease, like stocks and cultures of infectious agents from waste from surgery, laboratory work, and autopsies of patients with infectious diseases, waste from the infected patients and infected animals from the laboratories. Such kind of biohazardous waste disposal is necessary. 

• Sharps: These are the items that may cause puncture wounds or cuts, including knives, blades, scalpel and needles which should be disposed properly. Needle disposal is the most important aspect and it should be followed for the safety of the patients. 

Biohazard waste disposal is important to avoid any possible negative effect on the ambiance and for public safety. 

One of the biggest challenges of handling health care waste is that this type of waste has possibly harmful bacteria that may infect health workers, hospital patients and the general people. 

Other possible risk may comprise of drug resistant bacteria which spread from health amenities into the environment. The disposal of untreated medical wastes in landfills may lead to the pollution of surface, drinking and ground waters. 

 For all these reasons, medical waste management needs diligence and special attention. 

Here is a vital step you should follow:

Select a safe and eco-friendly compatible treatment of Biohazard waste disposal now.  It is your legal responsibility to make sure that proper disposal of these wastes happens to avoid prosecution.