The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on waste Generation in a large hospital in Serra Gaúcha, Brazil

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought challenges such as the correct management of healthcare waste, given its potential for contamination. This study aimed to compare the generation of infectious and recyclable waste in private hospitals in the previous period and during the pandemic. For this, were used data from the generation of waste in a large reference hospital (RH), located in Serra Gaúcha, and compared with data from other private hospitals in the southern region and in Brazil. In HR, an increase in the average amount of infectious waste generated (42.86%) and a reduction (14%) in the generation of recyclable waste was observed during the pandemic period. Regarding the generation of infectious waste per patient/day, there was an increase of 89.04% in HR and 40% in hospitals in the southern region and in Brazil. For recyclable waste, the generation of waste per patient/day increased by 17.14% and 16.04% for the HR and the South region, respectively. However, in terms of Brazil, there was a reduction of 17.6% in the generation of recyclable waste per patient/day. The pandemic has contributed to an increase in the generation of healthcare wastes and the correct management and disposal have become essential.