Aafrin Kidwai 
The latest guidelines issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) provide specifications on segregation of general solid waste and biomedical waste from quarantine centers/home-care/healthcare facilities treating COVID-19 patients. Recommendations are also provided on the disposal of PPEs.
This is the fourth revision to the guidelines for handling, treating and disposing of waste generated during treatment/diagnosis and quarantine of Covid-19 patients. As per the revised guidelines, leftover food and general solid waste from quarantine centres should be collected separately as per the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016.
General solid waste comprises wrappers of medicines/syringes, fruit peel, empty juice bottles or tetra packs, used water bottles, discarded papers, carton boxes of medicines, empty bottles of disinfectants, leftover food and disposable food plates.
Here are some of the other highlights:
- Segregation of biomedical waste and general solid waste should be done at the point of generation in wards/isolation rooms. There should be no segregation of biomedical waste and solid waste at temporary waste collection/storage area of Healthcare Facility to ensure occupational safety.
- Masks and gloves used by persons other than COVID-19 patients should be kept in a paper bag for a minimum of 72 hours prior to disposal of the same as general waste after cutting the same to prevent reuse.
- ULBs have been directed to inform the persons responsible for operating isolation wards, quarantine centres and residents of homecare units to collect solid waste and biomedical waste in securely tied separate bags and hand them over to authorised waste collectors. The leftover food and general solid waste should not be sent for disposal to the same incineration facility that is used for treating biomedical waste.
