World Environment Day Covid Special: Is Your BMW safe? (BMW= Bio Medical waste)

Dr Mangala Borkar

(The writer is Professor, Geriatrics, GMCH, Aurangabad).

Biomedical waste (BMW) can transmit diseases, creates nuisance. BMW has suddenly increased nearly six-fold due to COVID. Our country has been producing more than 100 tonnes of BMW related to COVID day, of which nearly 17% is the share of Maharashtra.

How do you dispose of your gloves or disposable masks? It is easier in hospitals, but at home, people often dump these with the household waste. Ideally, the garbage collecting agency should have a separate collecting container for this current COVID BMW. At least soak them in detergent and cut in pieces so that they are not reused.

There are many strict guidelines for the disposal of COVID waste, like, it has to happen within 24 hours. Does it really??

Dr Anant Pandhare,

Medical Director, Dr Hedgewar Rugnalay

Supervision by trained health care workers needed.

Medical waste is broadly classified as any item that comes into contact with blood or body fluids. It also includes PPE kits, gloves and disposable masks. Specifically, it is any solid waste that is generated in the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of humans.

We follow this strictly :

Segregation at source, as per guidelines, using colour coding and category system.

oDisinfection of some waste at source.

oUsing Category-wise transport trolleys from the source till handing to common facility.

o Preventive maintenance schedule of replacement of disinfectant, cleaning of storage apparatus.

oTeam of 8 persons closely monitor BMW.

oCompulsory Vaccination, PPE kits given to this staff.

o Training schedule is strictly implemented and internal meetings held to solve problems daily.

§Updated day to day recording system.

Dr Santosh Ranjalkar

President, IMA, Aurangabad

Rules should be followed by disposing agency.

Regular awareness and training of hospital staff.

Bio-waste is collected in yellow bags/containers and mostly incinerated (burnt in special machines). It may be treated at source with disinfectants or autoclaved and shredded too, as in case of some plastics.

·The AMC has appointed an agency, (Watergrace), that is supposed to collect bio-medical waste daily from all hospitals and OPDs. The charge is approximately Rs 800 /10 beds/month.

·The agency sometimes collects the BMW on the second or third day.

·For COVID BMW, charges are higher and measured in kilos of waste produced.

·This is carried to the plant near Bidkin dump and incinerated.

·All hospitals should have at least 10 trees in the campus and develop a terrace garden with smaller plants.

·On social occasions, we should promote gifting of plants.