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    Waste PPE: addressing the challenge

    Framing: PPE waste generation and footprint

    Patricia

    Waste generation

    • Landfill volumes have fallen due to the lockdown, whereas medical waste from hospitals have been significantly increased due to the disposal of tons of soiled PPE.
    • Reduction in landfill volumes during the pandemic (survey from mid-March to mid-April - Lodge, 2020)
    • Inbound materials from offices and retail operations have fallen by more than half.

    picture?

    • Figure 2: The expected trend of medical and MSW waste flow during the pandemic (Klemes et al., 2020)

    picture?

    • China has the most data on this issue:
      • Amount of MSW in large and medium cities was reduced by 30% during the disease outbreak.
      • However, the generation of medical waste increased sharply - by 370% in Hubei Province, with a high proportion of plastics.
      • 20 January-31 March: The accumulated medical waste in all China was estimated as 207 kt.
      • In Wuhan, medical waste increased from the normal level of 40 t/d to about a peak of 240 t/d, exceeding the maximum incineration capacity of 49 t/d.
    • US data on medical waste generation:
      • Stericycle is the largest hauler of regulated medical waste in the US & operator of 50 medical waste treatment plants. The publicly traded, Illinois-based company neither owns landfills nor recycles equipment.
      • Stericycle CEO Cindy Miller said on May 7 that the company has seen "a small decrease" in medical waste volumes "due to the postponement of preventative care and elective surgeries and the temporary closure of smaller, independent health care practices."
      • IBISWorld reports on PPE Manufacturing Statistics in the US cost ~$1,000.
      • Contact Stericycle?
      • Contact MGH, through Lorena Altamirano?
      • Contact other major players in waste management, such as Waste Management Inc. and Republic Services Inc?
      • Other suggestions?

    Waste management & footprint