The assessment of personal protective equipment waste management in a developing neighbourhood: Examples of Tamale metropolis

Abstract

This study assesses the management practices and factors influencing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) waste disposal in the Tamale metropolis. A three-stage sampling approach was used to select 383 respondents to participate in this study. A social experiment was conducted for the first time to determine critical factors influencing waste bin use in the study area. 413.82 ± 2.16 kg PPE waste was generated from the six selected communities from October 2021 to January 2022. Single-use PPE comprised 58.72 %, and reusable PPE was 41.28 %. It was also found that the Tamale Central Hospital generated more (156.59 ± 0.41 kg) PPE waste than (137.63 ± 0.36 kg) the Tamale West Hospital. Waste materials were not segregated, and no standard treatment method was used to handle PPE waste. Waste bin height above 150 cm was the most preferred by males, while most female participants preferred a waste bin height of 125 cm. The participants chose yellow as the colour PPE waste bins should have. Interestingly the heart shape was the most (41 %) patronised waste bin shape by females, and the square shape was the most (38 %) preferred by males. The study concludes that inadequate provision of waste bins, lack of enforcement of assembly by-laws, and inadequate training of waste handlers retard the effective management of PPE waste in the Tamale metropolis.