Solid Waste Management during Covid-19 Pandemic

Solid waste management (SWM) is a public health service whose importance is often understated. When the solid waste management challenge is exacerbated by a public health emergency such as the Covid-19 pandemic, its real significance as an essential service becomes more apparent. Waste Management is one of the most important sanitary barriers to prevent dissemination of illnesses and diseases. It is important to recall that the continuity of the waste services is not only for municipal waste but also for hazardous industrial and healthcare waste. Indeed, among the essential services, pharmaceutical industry, chemical industry, energy sector and incineration produce hazardous waste. The continuity and continued functionality of recycling are also important during and after the Coronavirus crisis passes, especially in light of the above: if households and businesses massively stop with separating recyclables, the overall waste system will be saddled with between 30 and 50% more materials and there is a risk of system failure. As such, the team came up with the plan of modifying the Barangay Motibot waste management system to tailor-fit these difficult times. On top of the list are lectures to be conducted to Material Recovery Facility(MRF)-assigned personnel as part of the education and information dissemination campaign created to educate them about the proper handling of waste during the new normal. Next, provision of personal protective equipments (PPEs) shall be proposed to the barangay council which is to be given to said persons who have one of the highest risk of being infected from different household-contaminated materials. And lastly, disinfection of the MRFs once a month after every collection is proposed as to prevent cross contamination of nearby households and potential air-borne transmission. It is important to recognize the role of waste workers and services as an essential component, especially in this period. The team is very much dedicated in protecting these front liners.

JENINE ATILANO

ADZU-SOM