Discarded face masks pose hazard in Chennai – Times of India

Chennai News
CHENNAI: While complaints about used masks being strewn on roads and in garbage bins trickle in, the Greater Chennai Corporation says it has streamlined household segregation and collection of this bio-medical waste.
Some 1-1.5 tonnes of used masks, gloves and other biomedical waste is generated every day in corporation limits, according to sources in the civic body. Yellow bags have been distributed to those who are under home quarantine. Such residents have to handover the waste in these bags to conservancy workers knocking on their doors.

As per data released by the corporation on April 13, there were 18,990 homes under quarantine, of which 11,129 had completed the mandatory 28-day isolation. Now 7,861 homes are under quarantine.
From April 12, GCC has devised a two-pronged strategy; residents in quarantined homes have to segregate biomedical waste in yellow bags, while those in non-quarantined homes have to keep it in a closed bin separate from the rest of the household garbage.
Both categories of residents have been advised to disinfect used masks, gloves and other waste with ordinary bleach solution (5%) or sodium hypochlorite solution (1%).
Some officials said residents continue to dump biomedical waste into dustbins as well as on the roadsides. Photographs have been doing rounds on social media of dogs playing with used masks. “Majority of residents are following our guidelines, but there are some who don’t,” said a senior official.
The civic body sends the biomedical waste it collects to specialized processing centres and also to an incinerator.
The Avadi corporation has identified an agency to collect bio-medical waste from homes directly and incinerate it as per Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) guidelines. “Currently there are two homes which are under quarantine in the corporation limits,” said Avadi corporation commissioner N Ravichandran.
In Tambaram municipality, a similar procedure is followed, said commissioner-incharge M Karuppiah. There are 22 homes under quarantine in the municipality’s limits, which generate 3-4 kg of bio-medical waste every day. “The agency is paid ₹44.5 per kg for collection of this waste,” he said.

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Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/discarded-face-masks-pose-hazard/articleshow/75214125.cms