As 2020 is coming to a close, each and everyone is encouraged to do their part in beating the COVID-19 pandemic. It can be donating medical supplies to hospitals, sending money to charities focusing on COVID-19 victims, or it can be as simple as managing your garbage.
How Waste Management Can Help
According to the UN Environment Program, managing waste can lower COVID-19 cases, as several hazardous wastes are present mostly in those plastic garbage bags. Masks, gloves, and other protective equipment are considered potential carriers of this virus and many other illness-inducing bacteria, which risk the workers in direct contact with unlabeled trash.
Before this pandemic, there was already a constant global problem with waste management. Several green projects launched to bring awareness to this as well as encourage recycling like Green Future Australia. Now that a global crisis has descended upon us, we need to take more initiative and participate more than ever.
What You Can Do To Help Manage Waste
Either for your general waste or for a project you’re currently working on, the best way you can tackle waste management is through hiring a skip bin. With a skip bin, you can ensure your trash is removed safely and completely. These companies follow a strict guideline in removing and discarding your waste and make sure their employees follow it step-by-step.
Other than that, you can help by lessening your generated waste, especially with protective gear such as facemasks and gloves. The lesser you expose yourself outside, the lesser your health hazard bin creates trash.
Safety Measures For Waste Management
Certain materials and equipment you use in your everyday life require more than just throwing in the bin. Here are some safety measures for those potential health hazards:
- Regarding Face Masks
This might be the most common thing to use in today’s pandemic. It can also be the dirtiest and most contaminated shield you have used for a day. Face masks should be placed in a separate bin, covered by a thick material such as a lid. Since the virus can live up to 2 weeks on any surface, it’s better to refrain from opening and closing the bins containing these.
- Wear Gloves And Discard Those Properly, Too!
In any setting, wearing clean gloves provides a barrier between your hands and the material you’re touching. Last year, gloves were used to refrain from bacteria originating on our hands to get in food and other sterile materials, but today these gloves work to protect us from our environment. When sorting through your general trash and handling your hazardous bin, make sure to put on a pair.
- Disinfect/Spray All Items
This is a big duh, but it’s good to remind ourselves that the virus can latch onto shopping bags and even our clothes. It also includes your waste. Spray once or twice on the area you’ll be touching for a safer waste management experience.
- Safely Wrap Items
This is for both you and the employees for your hired skip bin. Placing your waste inside another larger plastic bag before placing them in the skip bin will also protect those working at the recycling sites.
