Nearly 400 Tons of COVID-19 Medical Waste... Why Does the Ministry of Environment Say "No Issues"?

Excluding Low-Infectivity Disposable Diapers... "Processing Capacity Available"
5 Staff Support Daegu Cheong SOS... Dispatch Work to Daegu and Gyeongbuk
Regulation Eased Including Shortening Dedicated Container Inspection Period from 14 to 7 Days

Asia Economy DB=Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] As the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues, the amount of medical waste generated from isolation hospitals and residential treatment centers has approached 400 tons. The Ministry of Environment stated, "There is sufficient capacity for incineration of medical waste," and expressed that there will be no waste crisis. This is because, starting this year, disposable diapers with low infectivity have been excluded from medical waste, creating a daily processing capacity surplus of 74 tons.

The Ministry of Environment announced on the 14th that a total of 395.9 tons of COVID-19-related medical waste generated from January 23 to March 12 this year has been incinerated. COVID-19-related medical waste includes ▲242.1 tons from isolation hospitals ▲42.8 tons from residential treatment centers ▲50.1 tons from self-quarantined confirmed cases ▲61 tons from temporary living facilities for Wuhan evacuees.

COVID-19 medical waste includes all waste generated during medical procedures, such as cotton pads, bandages, disposable syringes, and needles. Recently, as the spread of COVID-19 continues, more than 20 tons of medical waste have been generated daily. In particular, waste generated from confirmed cases is entirely classified as 'isolation medical waste' and is incinerated on the same day.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Environment maintains that there is "no problem" in handling COVID-19 medical waste. This is thanks to the proactive revision of the Enforcement Decree of the Waste Management Act last year to reduce unnecessary medical waste generation. Since January this year, disposable diapers with low infectivity discharged from nursing hospitals have been excluded from general medical waste. Although isolation medical waste increased by about 289.6 tons last month due to the rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases, general medical waste decreased by as much as 2,377.2 tons due to the decree revision. This has created a daily incineration capacity surplus of about 74 tons.

Asia Economy DB=Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

In particular, incineration facilities in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, where the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases is high, currently have sufficient capacity. A Ministry of Environment official said, "Among the 13 medical waste incineration companies nationwide, three are located in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, accounting for one-third of the total incineration capacity," adding, "Fortunately, the permitted facility capacity is sufficient, so there is no significant difficulty in processing."

The Daegu Regional Environmental Office, which is on 24-hour emergency duty, received much-needed support. When the Daegu office, overwhelmed by the surge in waste processing tasks, issued an SOS to recruit volunteers, responses came from headquarters and other regional offices. A Ministry of Environment official said, "We were secretly worried that people might hesitate to be dispatched to the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, but five people readily volunteered." They will be responsible for inspecting and managing the COVID-19 medical waste processing situation throughout March.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment has implemented supply stabilization measures by temporarily easing various regulations to ensure no issues arise in the additional production of dedicated containers for medical waste. The required number of tests for conformity inspection has been relaxed, and the inspection period has been shortened from the previous 14 days to 7 days. In cases where short-term storage within 48 hours after container production is necessary, storage without ventilation or shading facilities will be permitted within the range that does not compromise quality.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.