MSPCB calls for compliance with biomedical waste management norms
SHILLONG | SEPT 08, 2020:
The Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB), Shillong has come down with a heavy hand on the disposal of bio-medical waste (PPE suits, masks and surgical gloves) which is being dumped haphazardly into the environment.
The Member Secretary of the MSPCB, Shillong, has also ordered all healthcare facilities including veterinary institutions, animal houses, pathological laboratories, medical or surgical camps, forensic laboratories and urban local bodies to strictly adhere to norms and standards laid down in the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 and as well as the "Guidelines for Handling, Treatment and Disposal of Waste Generated during Treatment/Diagnosis/ Quarantine of COVID-19 Patients-Revision-4".
The order stated that "Discarded PPEs from the general public at commercial establishments, shopping malls, institutions, offices, etc, should be stored in separate bins for 3 days, thereafter disposed of as dry general solid waste after cutting or shredding. Used masks and gloves in general households should be kept in a paper bag for a minimum of 72 hours before disposal of the same as general solid waste after cutting the same to prevent reuse."
The board seeks strict adherence to the above-stated guidelines to avoid any adverse effects on human health and the environment.
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