Herrera urges gov’t to take COVID-19 waste pollution seriously

Billy Begas

A party-list solon on Monday urged the government to take stronger actions to address the pollution induced by the extensive use of face masks and other single-use personal protective equipment (PPE) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deputy Speaker and Bagong Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera also underscored the need for an intensified monitoring and enforcement activities by concerned government agencies, such as the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

“These agencies need to tighten up their monitoring efforts to ensure proper handling and disposal of COVID-19 waste, which poses serious risks to public health and the environment,” Herrera said.

Herrera said while a range of PPE made from plastics have played crucial roles in protecting people during the health crisis, there is a growing concern over the unprecedented increase in single-use plastics including surgical face masks, face shields and gloves since the pandemic began.

“Beyond causing a deadly respiratory disease, the coronavirus has brought a new, and largely overlooked, threat to human health: more potentially harmful microplastics in the environment, this time from used PPE,” Herrera said.

Citing a 2020 study by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Herrera said the PPE used to fight COVID-19 becomes plastic waste after its use, invading the streets, sidewalks, parks and other public places.

The WWF study said if only 1% of the surgical and face masks are improperly discarded into the terrestrial and marine environments, it could potentially lead to unprecedented littering by as much as 100 billion masks every month worldwide.

Herrera warned that poor management of COVID-19 waste potentially exposes health care workers, waste handlers, patients and the community at large to infection, toxic effects and injuries, and risks polluting the environment.

Proper waste management is more important than ever, and we hope the national government, LGUs, hospitals and the general public will work together to ensure the proper handling and disposal of COVID-19 waste,” Herrera added.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)