AS COVID-19 cases in the country breached the one million mark (with 914,952 recoveries, 16,853 deaths and 74.623 active cases), a waste and pollution watchdog called attention to the necessity of segregating waste at source to protect waste workers from getting infected.
In a statement issued on the eve of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work (April 28), the EcoWaste Coalition emphasized the need to separate COVID-19 waste and other pathogenic waste from recyclable and compostable materials to keep waste workers, especially the informal recyclers, safe from harm caused by exposure to the novel coronavirus and other pathogens.
Also, separate discarded materials at the point of generation to keep our environmental frontliners such as the waste workers safe from COVID-19 and other diseases.
Used facemasks, tissues, wipes and other potentially infectious waste should not be mixed with other discards and should be properly disposed of to avoid them from polluting our streets and the oceans.
While SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is mainly passed on from person-to-person through respiratory droplets, studies suggest that the virus can remain on some materials for varying amounts of time.
For waste collectors and recyclers, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, potential sources of exposure include having close contact with a coworker or member of the public with COVID-19, or by contacting surfaces touched or handled by a person with COVID-19.
We therefore need to keep COVID-contaminated waste materials separate from recyclables and compostables to reduce risk of exposure among waste collectors and recyclers who often handle trash with minimal protection.
The lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as protective garments, gloves, glasses and shoes, the lack of access to water and soap or hand sanitizers, and the poor compliance to mandatory waste segregation at source makes the job of waste workers prone to occupational hazards.
To prevent and reduce occupational hazards, make waste segregation a habit. Each one of us. On the other hand, local governments and disposal sites must ensure waste workers’ access to PPE and to hand washing stations with water and soap or hand sanitizers.
