Prospects for Biomedical Waste Management
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a wide range of challenges to health, the environment, and the economy. Although the economy is recovering to a certain extent, the exponential growth of biomedical waste has posed a serious continuing health hazard and environmental threat. Untreated and improperly managed biomedical waste, including personal protective equipment (PPE), face shields, face shields, gloves, plastic overalls, headgear, protective clothing, shoe covers, syringes, and various medical equipment used by patients and medical staff, with transmission The possibility of various types of infections.[1] India continues to face severe consequences during the pandemic due to lack of resources, insufficient case reports, lack of awareness, poor isolation and flaws in the biomedical waste management system.[2]Since March 2020, the Central Pollution Control Commission (CPCB)
The 2016 “Biomedical Waste Management Rules” and analyzed it to ensure that COVID-19 debris is carefully collected and transported to “Biomedical Waste Treatment and Disposal Facilities”, and accurately designed and processed from health camps, hospitals, morgues, Biohazard waste in clinical and pathological laboratories, as well as other medical activities and places. The 2016 biomedical waste management rules require medical institutions to follow a color-coded waste disposal isolation structure and hand it over to the treatment facility within 48 hours. Earlier, the country classified ten different types of waste, which was later condensed into four types for easy classification. Infected or potentially contaminated waste is marked in yellow, recyclable and uninfected waste on the surface is classified as red, sharp and small metal objects are classified in white brackets, and waste composed of glass is classified in blue category.
In processing facilities, large amounts of waste in blue and red bags or white containers are guided for recycling after sterilization. Small amounts of waste, especially pathological and laboratory waste in yellow bags, are sent to be incinerated.Although medical institutions follow protocols regarding COVID-19 Waste disposal But the Family Quarantine Center does not have such isolation rules.
Waste processing and treatment rely heavily on the classification of scum into multiple categories (biodegradable, recycling, biohazard, etc.). If the landfill lacks planning, the final disposal of the waste is also a major obstacle. Initially, these locations were shelved outside the city to reduce harmful effects on residents.Nevertheless, with Urban sprawl, These locations are now within the city limits, thereby exposing residents to health threats and other environmental threats. Policy makers, researchers and practitioners have long praised digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence for material identification or smart waste containers and robot automation, as the fundamental driving factor for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of waste management.
Smart Waste Management: PWC& AWCS
Smart waste management can help us fight the COVID-19 pandemic to minimize the risk of infection and promote public health. The Pneumatic Waste Collection System (PWC) or Automatic Waste Collection System (AWCS) is a sustainable intelligent management system that can replace the traditional garbage collection panacea, completely abandon manual handling and contact with garbage, which is good for the city, the public and the environment. The basic component of any AWCS involves placing garbage bags in a garbage bin or entrance door (usually called a garbage loading station), and then transporting the garbage bags through a network of pipes through a vacuum and airflow to a garbage transfer station, where the garbage is completely sealed container.
AWCS is operated by the control system and can be accessed 24/7/365. MariMatic Oy has established pneumatic waste collection 4.0 and provides a completely non-contact automatic opening/closing door for waste loading stations, which does not require human contact with waste disposal points. With PWC 4.0, the discarded garbage bags will not have any additional contact before reaching the final destination (i.e. sorting or recycling factory), thus ensuring the safety of garbage workers. Although PWC 4.0 cannot eliminate the pandemic, as a smart waste management solution, it can certainly help fight and minimize the risk of exposure to the virus.[3]
COVID-19 biomedical waste tracking app
As early as May 2020, CPCB launched an app, the COVID-19 Biomedical Waste Management (BWM App), to track unstable COVID-19 biomedical waste. COVID19BWM is a software application used to monitor the generation, collection and disposal of COVID-19 biomedical debris, produced in many medical institutions, isolation wards, quarantine centers, COVID-19 sample collection centers, testing laboratories, and urban local agencies Perform waste collection duties of home care units and home quarantine centers. It allows the exchange of information among multiple stakeholders involved.[4]The application can track the life cycle of debris from collection, separation, and transportation to incineration by geotagging each process and submitting detailed information on a public platform, all waste generators, transporters, and people in processing facilities Both will be required to register.[5]According to the report submitted by the Environmental Pollution (Prevention and Control) Administration, the Supreme Court passed an order in July 2020 to compulsory reporting through the BWM App. Despite this, so far, few people have registered themselves on the app, and even fewer are frequently reported.[6]
Smart trash can
Biocrux India has established a device to collect COVID-19 garbage. A large smart trash bin enabled by the Internet of Things (IoT) has three automatically adjustable mouths that can be opened and closed through touch screen instructions and trash type selection. Containers with capacities of 420 liters, 200 liters, and 220 liters are designated for disinfectant bottles, masks, and PPE kits/flexibles, respectively. The electric door can be loosened and fixed to ensure that it will not tip over or overflow. Every machine based on the Internet of Things connection will track its usage with a login name and password. In a few cases, smart trash cans have interactive screens that can help users better manage trash and make them pay more attention to trash. When the container is full, the sensor on the machine will notify the central removal system so that a specialized biomedical waste pickup truck can process the contents. Smart waste bins are suitable for collecting COVID waste in company offices, housing associations, hotels, commercial markets and smart cities.[7]
Internet of Things (IoT)-driven waste management
The traditional waste management process begins with urban residents depositing waste and discarding it in the trash can when it is generated. According to a predetermined schedule, municipal trucks will collect waste and transport it to a recycling center. The traditional manual monitoring of the garbage in the garbage bin is a time-consuming process, which not only requires more time, manpower and money, but also poses safety problems for the garbage disposal workers, and the existing technology can eliminate these problems. IoT-driven waste management solutions implemented in smart cities usually include endpoint devices (sensors), gateways, cloud platforms, and mobile and web applications. The smart waste management system aims to solve the problem of waste collection in smart cities because it provides timely waste collection and ensures improved overall productivity and cleanliness. The Internet of Things helps cities reduce the frequency of garbage collection, reduces carbon emissions, and greatly reduces waste management costs.[8]
IoT-enabled COVID waste collection and transportation can bring significant benefits in the overall application of waste management solutions. Deploying smart waste bins, tracking waste trucks and sanitation workers, optimizing truck routes, cross-checking waste weight, etc., can constructively solve the challenges of law enforcement and transparency. Correspondingly, sensors that support the Internet of Things can also track the amount of alternative fuels generated from waste disposal. Solutions that support the Internet of Things can also help sort waste as it is generated, thereby bringing significant value to the rest of the life cycle.[9]
Use artificial intelligence to classify and isolate trash
Using artificial intelligence applications such as machine vision can help automated systems distinguish between different types of debris. They can then categorize them more constructively and provide insights into regional disposal practices. The company can then ensure that they do their best to reprocess and avoid bloomers that are harmful to the environment.[10]
in conclusion:
On a global scale, almost all countries are striving to achieve a coherent model of biomedical waste management, with special emphasis on hazardous waste management. The basic principles of good biomedical waste practice are based on the concept of 3R, namely reduction, recycling and reuse. Many modes of biomedical waste treatment, according to their needs, are elimination, reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery, treatment and final disposal. The various technologies of biomedical waste treatment are divided into four groups: thermal, chemical, irradiation and biological processes.[11]The sustainable and safe management of biomedical waste is the legal and social responsibility of everyone who finances and supports healthcare activities. Waste management personnel, mainly waste collectors, must guard against any potential infection of the waste stream. Therefore, it is necessary to raise public awareness, implement isolation at the source and adopt smart waste management technologies.
[1] Tristias, https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-biomedical-waste-management-during-covid-pandemic (Last visit time was August 11, 2021).
[2]Chandler and Shastri, Update on biomedical waste management during COVID-19: India scenario, 11 CEGH 1,1, (2021).
[3] Bee smart city, https://hub.beesmart.city/en/solutions/covid-19-and-rethinking-smart-waste-management (Last visit time was August 12, 2021).
[4] A printed circuit board, https://cpcb.nic.in/uploads/Projects/Bio-Medical-Waste/V1_COVID-19_BMW_Tracking_App.pdf (Last visit time was August 12, 2021).
[5] anonymous, Application for tracking “dangerous” COVID-19 biomedical waste, New India Express (08:05 AM, May 9, 2020), https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2020/may/09/app-to-track-hazardous-covid-19-bio-medical-waste-2140997.html
[6] down to earth, https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/waste/covid-19-will-place-india-s-biomedical-waste-management-under-terrible-strain-77714 (Last visit time was August 11, 2021).
[7] Preti Mehra, Keep us away from COVID-19 waste, India Business Line (June 2, 2020), https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/specials/clean-tech/deliver-us-from-covid-19-waste/article31729204.ece
[8] Soft equalizer, https://www.softeq.com/blog/how-smart-cities-are-leveraging-iot-for-waste-management (Last visit time was August 12, 2021).
[9] DQINDIA, https://www.dqindia.com/iot-enabled-smart-city-helps-tackle-problem-solid-waste-management-india/(Last visit time was August 12, 2021).
[10] HPG consulting, https://www.hpgconsulting.com/blog/application-of-digital-technology-in-waste-management/(Last visit time was August 12, 2021).
[11] Priya Datta & Jagdish Chander, Biomedical Waste Management in India: Critical Assessment, 10 J Laboratory Physician (2018)
