Protection now polluting

NEWS DESK

Around 14,500 tonnes of hazardous plastic waste have been produced from the single use surgical face masks, gloves, hand sanitisers bottles, and polythene bags in the first month of the shutdown, says a study report.

About 11.2 percent of this waste apparently are surgical face masks, 21 percent polythene-made normal gloves, 20 percent surgical gloves, 40.9 percent single use polythene shopping bags, and 6.4 percent empty bottles of hand sanitisers.

The study findings were disclosed at a virtual press conference yesterday.

Environment and Social Development Organisation (ESDO) conducted the study titled "Covid-19 Pandemic Pushes the Single Use Plastic Waste UP: No Management, No Protection: Pose High Health and Environmental Risks".

The study exclusively focuses on hazardous plastic waste generating from the single use of plastic protective gear by the people and healthcare professionals.

Shahriar Hossain, secretary general of ESDO, said, "Medical waste from hospitals and other healthcare organisations has to be collected, stored, transported, treated, and disposed of so that it does not cause further risks of infections or pollution."

He said indiscriminate disposal of these hazardous plastic waste could cause massive environmental pollution.

The noted environmentalist added that it could help spread other infectious diseases.

"People working in waste management are in direct risk of being infected, and it could spread further due to lack of proper protective measures."

At this time of Covid-19, the growing tendency of using disposable gloves has become evident in urban and rural areas of the country, finds the study. 

According to the report, an estimated 250 tonnes of the single use plastic waste has been generated from the hospitals only in the last one month.