Pune: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has issued specific guidelines and instructions for the proper disposal of biomedical waste. Under the guidelines, a nodal officer is to be appointed for each unit to monitor the handling, collection, transportation and disposal of biomedical waste generated in COVID-19 centres.
Over the last few months, the central and state governments have taken various steps to combat the coronavirus pandemic spread. These include ghettoization, segregation, screening camps, sample collection, laboratory testing centre for examination and diagnosis of COVID-19 patients. Additionally now, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has issued specific guidelines for the management of biomedical waste generated during this diagnosis and treatment.
When treating COVID-19 patients, tons of biomedical waste is generated in the city and the regulations have been issued to ensure proper disposal.
According to the new guidelines, a nodal officer should be appointed for the COVID-19 Center in every area. The waste should be collected and disposed of as per CPCB rules by downloading the Biomedical Waste Trucking app. It also said that the employees that are being deployed in service with this task of waste collection and management should be given proper training. The use of sodium Hypochlorite is mandatory in the process.
Additionally, the guidelines also laid importance on creating awareness among the masses to segregate general waste and biomedical waste.
The guidelines also mandate that the biomedical waste from the COVID-19 treatment centre should be disposed of in a separate waste bin and sprayed with hypochlorite while dealing with it.
SUGGESTIONS FOR PROPER HANDLING OF THE WASTE
Make a trash can that opens at the base. The waste containers for the biomedical waste at the COVID-19 Treatment Center should be opened by pressing the handle on the base of the bin. These cans should have two plastic bags. Positive patient's mask, gloves should be put in it. General waste and biomedical waste should be different.
Along with that, care should be taken at home for the positive patient as well as the person taking treatment at home. As the government has now allowed positive patients who do not have symptoms of the virus to be treated at home. The new instructions call for the use of syringes, medicines, masks, gloves, urine bags, blood vessels to be treated as 'household hazardous waste' and its disposal to be treated as biomedical waste.