Herrera

Stronger action vs stronger COVID waste pollution sought

October 25, 2021 Ryan Ponce Pacpaco 692 views

A HOUSE leader on Monday urged authorities to take stronger action to address a new form of pollution induced by the extensive use of surgical face masks and other single-use personal protective equipment (PPE) during the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“It’s time that we take the so-called COVID-19 waste pollution seriously. Authorities need to develop and implement an action plan to address this problem before it’s too late,” said Deputy Speaker and Bagong Henerasyon (BH) party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera.

Herrera said the action plan should include intensified monitoring and enforcement activities by concerned government agencies, such as the Department of Health (DoH), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

“These agencies need to tighten up their monitoring efforts to ensure proper handling and disposal of COVID-19 waste, which poses serious risks to public health and the environment,” Herrera pointed out.

Herrera said that while a range of PPE made from plastics have played crucial roles in protecting people during the health crisis, there is a growing concern over the unprecedented increase in single-use plastics including surgical face masks, face shields and gloves since the pandemic began.

“Beyond causing a deadly respiratory disease, the coronavirus has brought a new, and largely overlooked, threat to human health: more potentially harmful microplastics in the environment, this time from used PPE,” Herrera said.

Citing a 2020 study by the World Wildlife Fund, Herrera said the PPE used to fight COVID-19 becomes plastic waste after its use, invading the streets, sidewalks, parks and other public places.

She added that COVID-19 waste often ends up in rivers and oceans, causing a huge threat to marine life.

The party-list lawmaker warned that poor management of COVID-19 waste potentially exposes health care workers, waste handlers, patients and the community at large to infection, toxic effects and injuries, and risks polluting the environment.

Thus, she said it is essential that all medical waste materials are segregated at the point of generation, appropriately treated and disposed of safely—all of these fall within the responsibility of local government units (LGUs).

“Proper waste management is more important than ever, and we hope the national government, LGUs, hospitals and the general public will work together to ensure the proper handling and disposal of COVID-19 waste,” Herrera said.

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