The spread of the Coronavirus around the globe has propelled people to be extra careful in day to day social interactions. The virus is very contagious within close distances. Certain safety precautions and voluntary steps are necessary to curb the numbers and prevent the virus from causing a further threat to humanity. These steps including, but not limited to the ff:
- Maintaining an effective physical distance from others
- Regular hand washing at all times
- Avoiding unnecessary trips outside
- Wearing proper PPE
Proper Protective Equipment items
The PPEs are common things that are available in many locations. These protective extra layers of clothing are more noticeable in health institutions where the observance of health and safety are more heightened. However, they are more in demand right now with the ongoing situation. With the more normal use of these items, there is also an increase of medical waste in the form of these PPEs. These are some of the PPE normally present:
- Surgical face masks
- P2 or N95 respirator
- Disposable face shields
- Disposable gloves
- Goggles or eye shields
- Isolation gowns
Currently, PPEs are everywhere. Even worse, the rise in demand and use in PPEs cause a difference in the waste management of every nation. Now more than ever, medical gloves and face masks end up in beach fronts and places that they aren’t supposed to be. So the real question is, how can we dispose of PPEs without sacrificing the safety of the environment and public?
Sealed containers and proper disposal
One of the easy ways to dispose of PPEs is to consider the option of incineration. Though it effectively stops further possible contamination from the virus in these items, this method causes gradual harm to the environment in the long-run. As such, cities and locations have more systematic ways of disposing PPEs. If you have your own stock of disposable face masks at home, do some specific steps to make waste disposal more manageable and safer.
- Fold the mask inwards or roll tightly to contain any droplets. You can use the loops to roll the mask.
- Contain the used mask inside a sealed container like plastic bags.
- Throw the plastic bag in the designated segregation bin. This marks the used PPE as a possible contaminant that can cause danger or an offensive waste to the public.
- Wash your hands.
You can do the same method to some other smaller PPE items at home like disposable gloves. The important aspect is putting the used PPE items inside another container to lessen the spread of the pathogen that’s already within the items. On top of causing pollution to its surrounding environment, used PPE left out in the open can still spread further contamination to others, especially if left in more public places.
Rubbish removalists for handling PPEs
Sorting used PPE starts at home. In case you have a hard time managing your waste at home, rubbish removalists also have the training to handle these kinds of waste. Paul’s Rubbish Removal is more than experienced to handle waste from hospitals and medical institutions. Start with putting up a separate plastic container for all your used PPEs. Make sure to seal it well before you call the rubbish experts to get rid of them for you. Do regular disposal of waste to get rid of the used PPEs. We’ll take your sealed containers away in no time.
Conclusion
The amount of PPE demand will not go down any time soon. Face masks alone have a projected demand of up to 20% growth rate annually even in hopeful post-pandemic times. This kind of waste will take a toll on the environment. The world goes through about 129 billion face masks every month. Careful and strict waste management is essential to prevent future detriments on the environment. Everyone is responsible for keeping their own PPE handled well.
Get in touch with us!
Paul’s Rubbish Removal offers rubbish removal services in Sydney. If you don’t have the time and freedom to handle and dispose your used PPEs, we do same-day rubbish removal and take care of removing your used PPEs. We follow a strict protocol in handling any kind of waste that can be infectious. Don’t hesitate to contact us!
To book a job, please call 0407 125 125 or send us an email at info@paulsrubbish.com.au.
