Karnataka pays more than nine times the usual price to dispose of COVID-19 waste

The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have added to the worsening garbage scenario in Karnataka. The state on an everyday basis during this pandemic time is generating about 3,000 kg biomedical waste and paying more than nine times the price of what it used to pay to dispose and incinerate a kilogram of biomedical waste earlier.

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

The common biomedical waste treatment facilities on their part say as most of the COVID-19 waste consists of PPEs made of polypropylene, to control emissions, they incinerate only 100 kg at a time as against their incinerators' capacity of 400 kg. Medical Education minister Dr Sudhakar too appealed to the public to use reusable masks made at home to avoid contribution of masks to the piling up of biomedical waste.

Dr Asima Banu, Nodal Officer, Emergency and Trauma Care Centre, told DH, "We used to generate 700 kgs to 800 kgs biomedical waste per day. Now since 96 per cent of COVID-19 patients are asymptomatic, we do not have usual waste like plasters, catheters, riles tubes in the numbers that we used to."

"But the treatment facility that used to charge Rs. 7 per kg is now charging Rs. 65 per kg. He says it is because of the PPEs the waste handlers use and the separate trips that he makes to transport COVID-19 waste. COVID-19 waste and other biomedical waste of the hospital cannot be mixed. 70 per cent of the waste consists of used PPEs and we spend Rs. 20,000 per day to dispose of 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-19 waste in the past three months. His clientele include Victoria Hospital's Emergency and Trauma Care Centre, Sparsh Hospital, KC 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, "Majority of the COVID-19 waste comprises PPE. Burning polypropylene in large quantities is not suggestible. So, to control the emissions, we feed the incinerator only 100 kg of waste as against 400 kg of waste at once. So there is no optimal utilisation of our incinerator. So we charge the customers our operational expenses."

According to the biomedical waste management guidelines, even used masks are considered COVID-19 waste, hence, common biomedical waste treatment facilities get such waste from malls, office spaces and any place that uses PPEs. Linens, pillow covers, leftover food, water bottles are among the other waste the facilities get from COVID-19 wards.