Noida: Covid waste drops by 98% as situation improves

With fewer Covid-19 cases, Gautam Budh Nagar’s biomedical waste related to the infection has also dropped by almost 98% since the second wave in April-May

With fewer Covid-19 cases, Gautam Budh Nagar’s biomedical waste related to the infection has also dropped by almost 98% since the second wave in April-May.

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According to the agency managing the district’s biomedical waste, the current collection is about 1,500-1,600kg per day, of which Covid-19 waste is about 25-30kg. During the second wave, Covid-related biomedical waste was about 1,200-1,600kg per day.

The Covid-19 biomedical waste includes masks, personal protection equipment, tubes, swabs and medicines, among others. These are collected from Covid care facilities, including hospitals dedicated to treat the disease.

These days, syringes used in the vaccination against Covid-19 form most of the Covid-19 waste, said Sanjay Kaushik, chief executive officer of Synergy, the agency hired to handle biomedical waste in the district as well as 32 others in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Bihar.

“The load of Covid-19 waste has decreased drastically since June. Currently, we get waste from only a few hospitals. We collect the waste in yellow bags, and transported it to our incinerator in Meerut,” said Kaushik.

Despite the second wave’s intensity, Kaushik said the first wave generate more waste -- almost 2,100-3,000kg in June-July last year.

“This was because the UP pollution control board guidelines till July 31, 2020 regarded food waste from a Covid facility as Covid-19 waste. Later, this was revised, and food waste was categorised as general waste that we collect in green bags,” said Kaushik.

As on Monday, GB Nagar saw four more Covid-19 infections that took active cases to 39 and net total cases to 62,651 in the district, according to the state health bulletin.

The biomedical waste is segregated under four colour categories – yellow (biomedical), red (plastic), white/transparent (metals) and blue (glass).

“We ensure that all Covid-19 waste is collected and managed properly. Private agencies hired by us collect the biomedical waste from the Covid-19 hospitals and isolation centres. We collect it from the patients under home quarantine (and give it to the agency). Currently, there are no Covid-19 patients under home quarantine,” said SC Mishra, project engineer (health), Noida authority.