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Ghaziabad civic body advises high-rises to install incinerators to dispose of masks
In order to scientifically dispose of used masks, the Ghaziabad municipal corporation has installed 50 incinerators at public toilets in markets and 23 more will
In order to scientifically dispose of used masks, the Ghaziabad municipal corporation has installed 50 incinerators at public toilets in markets and 23 more will be installed soon. The officials have also advised high-rises to install incinerators on their premises to dispose of masks and sanitary pads, which are termed hazardous waste.
The city has about 300 high-rises in different areas of Indirapuram, Vaishali, Crossings Republik and Raj Nagar Extension, among others.
“In the meantime, the RWAs and apartment owners’ associations can collect the used masks at a single point in their building and then alert our zonal officers to collect them. A door-to-door collection vehicle will transport the masks to the incinerators. People should also understand that throwing away used masks could be hazardous for others,” Dinesh Chandra, municipal commissioner, said.
The corporation has also arranged for 10,000 cotton masks for all its officials and cleaning staff.
“The cotton masks are beneficial as they can be washed and reused. We are also taking precaution that no masks disposed of in public places are taken to the landfill. All masks are destroyed in the incinerators,” Chandra said.
Apart from the daily garbage collection, the corporation is also engaged in sanitization work of Covid-19 hot spot areas and quarantine centres.
The civic body has roped in five big machines to spray a mixture of water and disinfectant besides 17 other smaller spraying machines to sanitize different areas. The spraying activity has been taken up in 100 residential wards.
On Tuesday, chief minister Yogi Adityanath also stressed on the use of cotton masks to prevent the spread of the virus.
“These are less expensive and provide better protection. Their use has also been recommended by the World Health Organization. We have also roped in a number of women self-help groups for making these cotton masks,” Adityanath said.
Environmentalists said masks should not be left in public places or thrown away casually.
“They can spread the infection to others. People should also avoid throwing masks in with their daily garbage. Otherwise, used masks will land at the landfill from where they can further infect scrap collectors,” Akash Vashishtha, a city-based environmentalist, said.
