COVID-19 adds to Karnataka's worsening garbage situation

The COVID-19 pandemic scenario seems to have added to the worsening garbage scenario. Karnataka is generating about 3,000 kg biomedical waste daily and paying more than nine times what it used to, to dispose of and incinerate a kg of biomedical waste earlier.

Sample this: Bengaluru’s Victoria Hospital campus, where 299 COVID-19 patients are housed, pays Rs 65 to dispose one kg of COVID waste as against Rs 7 per kg of biomedical waste that it used to pay before the pandemic. The Emergency and Trauma Care Centre spends Rs 6 lakh per month only to get 300 kg of COVID waste incinerated per day.

The common biomedical waste treatment facilities, on their part, say most of the COVID waste consists of PPEs made of polypropylene. To control emissions, they incinerate only 100 kg at a time as against the incinerators’ capacity of 400 kg. Medical Education Minister Dr Sudhakar has appealed to the public to use reusable masks made at home, to avoid contribution of masks to the piling up biomedical waste.

Dr Asima Banu, Nodal Officer, Emergency and Trauma Care Centre, told DH, “We used to generate 700 kg to 800 kg biomedical waste per day. Now, since 96% of COVID patients are asymptomatic, we do not have usual waste like plasters, catheters, riles tubes in the numbers, like before.”

“But the treatment facility, which used to charge Rs 7 per kg, is now charging Rs 65. He says this is because of the PPEs that the waste handlers use and the separate trips that they have to organise to transport COVID waste. The COVID waste and other biomedical waste of the hospital cannot be mixed. About 70% of the waste consists of used PPEs and we spend Rs 20,000 per day to dispose them,” she added.

Medicare Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd, one of the six common biomedical waste treatment facilities in the city, has received 130 registrations to collect COVID waste in the past three months.

Their clientele include Victoria Hospital’s Emergency and Trauma Care Centre, Sparsh Hospital, K C General Hospital, ESI Hospital and 22 quarantine centres in the city. Private establishments pay anywhere between Rs 70 and Rs 110 per kg of waste.

Seshi Reddy, AGM, Medicare Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd, told DH, “A majority of the COVID waste comprises of PPE. Burning polypropylene in large quantity is not advisable. So, there is no optimal utilisation of our incinerator. Hence, we charge the customers our operational expenses.”

According to the biomedical waste management guidelines, even used masks are considered COVID waste. Common biomedical waste treatment facilities get such waste from malls, offices and any place that uses PPEs. Linen, pillow covers, leftover food, water bottles are among the other waste the facilities get from COVID wards.