- Currently, the health sector is one of the services that contributes the most with carbon emissions on the planet and one of the reasons is the mismanagement of sanitary waste.
- Since the Covid-19 pandemic, single-use materials have increased in hospitals.
- Between March 2020 and November 2021, the medical industry discarded 87,000 tons of PPE used by healthcare professionals.
The main function of hospitals is to be the ideal space for patient care. At the same time, they must also function as friendly places for all medical personnel. For their part, due to the nature of their activities, it is natural for all of them to generate a large amount of sanitary waste but the important thing is the way in which they are handled to avoid causing the least possible impact to nature.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), 30% of hospitals on the planet are not equipped to manage their sanitary waste. Although when it comes to developing countries the figure increases to 60%.
The problem of sanitary waste
This environmental problem is not new; however, in recent years and especially since the Covid-19 pandemic, it has worsened. One reason is the rise of single-use medical clothing.
“Many times it is believed that the medical industry has a free pass in the face of the consequences of its operation. This is because before there was neither the clothing nor the technology necessary to chart a sustainable course for this sector without compromising the health of the professionals”, explains Tamara Chayo, CEO and founder of MEDU Protection.
However, he adds that according to his investigations, health personnel are aware of the importance of caring for the environment. At the same time, they recognize that given their conditions and the sensitivity of hospital waste, it has been difficult to achieve change.
“Given its importance and size, the medical industry can set an example and lead a significant change in caring for the environment.”
Tons of waste caused by sanitary waste
Currently, the health sector is one of the services that contributes the most with carbon emissions on the planet. According to researchers at Northeastern University in Boston, it is an industry responsible for between 4.4 and 4.5% of greenhouse gases (GHG). To put the figure in context, based on records from Our World in Data, together, the cement and chemical industries contribute 5.2% of annual GHGs.
According to the WHO, the medical industry is leaving a long-term carbon dioxide footprint, as well as immediate pollutants such as methane, nitrous oxides and even black carbon. Likewise, huge amounts of single-use medical clothing.
Between March 2020 and November 2021 alone, the medical industry discarded 87,000 tons of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) used by health professionals on the front lines of Covid-19.
In the same period, the test kits left 600 tons of non-infectious waste (mainly plastic) and 731,000 liters of chemical waste (the equivalent of a third of an Olympic swimming pool), the WHO reported.
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