ADB: Metro Manila daily medical waste up by 280 tons due to pandemic

Medical waste in Metro Manila increased by 280 tons per day due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations showed Wednesday.

According to Tina Panganiban-Perez’s report on “24 Oras,” each person in a health care facility produces about 3.5 kilograms of health care waste due to COVID-19 per day.

“[Disposable face masks] ang madalas nating makita dahil wala pong malinaw na tapunan ang ating mga kababyan,” Environment Undersecretary Benny Antiporda said.

Due to this, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) ordered the production of yellow trash bins for household healthcare waste.

One hundred yellow trash bins have been distributed in Manila while thousands more are set to be distributed in other local government units in the following months.

“We are calling all the LGUs, including the barangay leaders, to plesae come up with the yellow bin. ‘Yung kulay dilaw na basurahan basta’t nakamamatay na basura, itapon sa dilaw na basurahan,” Antiporda said.

“So we are calling their attention na maglagay lang kayo ng isa kada isang barangay,” he added.

The trash bins must be labeled properly and separated from normal trash bins. The infectious waste must also be brought to a place far from patients and public areas. — Joahna Lei Casilao/BM, GMA News