Main challenges caused by the epidemic on hospital waste management and their control methods: A case study based on the experience of the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic lead to increase in the generation of medical wastes and a change in the proportion of infectious wastes. In this the status of waste management in 10 hospitals in Tehran during the covid-19 pandemic was investigated. The results showed that the increase in the medical wastes in the hospitals studied was 6% 212%. Thus, during the pandemic, on average, 592.4 kg/day and 732.7 kg/day more wastes were generated in private and public hospitals, respectively. Also, the ratio of common wastes in private and public hospitals decreased by an average of 12 and 9%, respectively, compared to before the pandemic. On the other hand, the generation of infectious wastes in public and private hospitals increased by 2125 kg/day (7.4%) and 2514 kg/day (11.3%), respectively. The lack of capacity of equipment for waste storage and treatment was on average 26.9% and 45.3%, respectively. The experience of the studied hospitals in applying the flexible method of waste management and the use of on-site treatment equipment, which led to the control of the challenges caused by the pandemic, can be considered in developing societies.