COVID-19 and Waste Management Practices in 2022
COVID-19 has impacted the world in unprecedented ways and the surge in the volumes of medical waste generated has been one of the major challenges for healthcare facilities across the globe in the past years.
COVID-19 and waste management have gained massive attention in the United States too as treatment and prevention procedures continue to see an exponential rise in waste generation. There is an urgent need for medical facilities to follow safety guidelines for medical waste disposal. Also, availing the service of professionals for medical waste disposal can benefit.
WHO on COVID-19 and Waste Management Worldwide
World Health Organisation (WHO) recently released a report which raised concerns regarding the threat to human and environmental health caused by medical waste. According to WHO, 140 million COVID-19 test kits were supplied which had the potential to create approximately 2600 tonnes of plastic waste along with more than 700,000 liters of chemical waste.
In addition, 8 billion vaccines have been administered since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout generating 144,000 tonnes of waste, which includes needles, vials, safety boxes, etc. Furthermore, the WHO analysis shows extensive use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) based on the UN data.
The experts also pointed out that there has been a 10 times surge in the waste loads at healthcare facilities, which is staggering, to say the least.
The increase in the volume of medical waste has exposed the shortcomings of healthcare facilities and medical hospitals worldwide. A large number of facilities lack mechanisms for waste segregation, efficient transportation, and safe disposal.
The United States and Waste Management Practices
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States has taken several measures to improve medical waste management practices. Various laws have been enacted and stricter guidelines have been shared for all the states in the US for tackling rising medical waste volumes and its disposal. Consequently, the number of COVID-19 cases has reduced significantly in 2022.
Waste Management Practices in 2022
Medical hospitals and clinics need to continue the development and implementation of waste management practices that they can help in the future. It includes waste segregation practices to separate hazardous waste which needs special treatment from non-hazardous waste.
Other factors that need to be focused on include waste classification, containerization, labeling, color coding of containers, transportation, storage, and disposal of medical waste. Best waste management practices should be followed for better planning, awareness, training, monitoring, documentation, budgeting, and tracking.
Medical Waste Recovery (MWR)
Medical Waste Recovery (MWR) is a leading company for medical waste disposal in Michigan. Find a wide range of services such as medical waste disposal, COVID waste disposal, online OSHA and HIPPA-compliant waste management programs, sharps disposal, pharmaceutical waste disposal, and much more.
If you run a healthcare facility in Michigan you can contribute to COVID-19 waste management success by partnering with medical waste management services like MWR. Moreover, you can meet the regulatory compliance requirements with the help of professionals and experts who manage medical waste at MWR.