Published on April 14, 2020.

In order to minimize possible secondary impacts on the planet and health, the United Nations Environment Program, the world's leading environmental authority on this matter, called on governments to consider waste management as a Urgent and essential public service in the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic, considering the management of all types of waste, hospital, domestic, industrial and dangerous, in order not to trigger a rebound effect and serious consequences for both human health , as for the environment.

Safe waste management will be crucial during the COVID-19 emergency. Infected medical waste should be treated as hazardous waste and stored and disposed of separately from other waste, such as household waste, to be later collected by municipal or specialized operators. The guidelines on the disposal of these wastes are detailed in the Basel Convention fact sheet on medical and hospital waste, where a group of experts in environmental management are developing information on the implementation of the environmentally sound management of waste, followed by information on streams of different specific waste, such as electrical and electronic, sanitary, lead-acid batteries, used oils and tires, in order to minimize risks to human health and the environment.

More information: https://bit.ly/3dKMfR4