The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on July 21, 2020 has revised the guidelines for handling, treatment and disposal of waste generated during treatment of COVID-19 patients. These guidelines suppress all earlier issued guidelines. The objective is to provide revised guidance on segregation of general solid waste and biomedical waste from quarantine centers, home-care, healthcare facilities treating COVID-19 patients and to recommend on disposal of PPEs. These revised guidelines are additional information for temporary Healthcare Facilities.
The temporary Healthcare Facilities like rail coach wards, COVID Care Centers etc. must ensure these steps as per additional information to the revised guidelines:-
1. There should be 2 separate color coded bins 2 /bags/containers in wards and maintain proper segregation of waste as per BMWM Rules, 2016 as amended and CPCB guidelines for implementation of BMW Management Rules.
2. Collect and store biomedical waste separately prior to handing over the same CBWTF. Use a dedicated collection bin labelled as “COVID-19” to store COVID-19 waste and keep separately in temporary storage room prior to handing over to authorized staff of CBWTF. Biomedical waste collected in such isolation wards can also be lifted directly from ward into CBWTF collection van.
3. Maintaining separate records of waste generated from COVID-19 isolation wards is mandatory.
4. Used masks, tissues and toiletries, of COVID-19 patient becomes biomedical waste and should be segregated in yellow bag General solid waste (household waste) generated from quarantine centers or camps should be collected in bags, securely tied and handed-over to municipal solid waste collector identified by Urban Local Bodies for final disposal. Only the used masks, gloves and tissues or swabs contaminated with blood / body fluids of COVID-19 patients, including used syringes, medicines, etc., if any generated should be treated as biomedical waste.
5. Left-over food, empty juice bottles or tetra packs, empty water bottles, packaging material, and any other items, generated or handled by COVID-19 patient should be collected along with other general solid waste in bags securely tied for handing over to waste collectors engaged by ULBs. Yellow colored bag should not be used for general solid waste.
6. Discarded PPEs from general public at commercial establishments, shopping malls, institutions, offices, etc. should be stored in separate bin for 3 days, thereafter disposed of as dry general solid waste after cutting/shredding. - At Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), discarded PPEs containing plastic should be shredded and sent to SPCB authorized plastic waste recyclers, or may be converted into refuse derived fuel (RDF) for co-processing or energy recovery (in Waste to Energy Plants) or for road making. Shredded PPEs may be disposed at landfill only in case the requisite infrastructure as required under SWM Rules is not available in the State.
