COVID-19 Patients Self-Isolating at Home Asked to Dispose of Medical Waste Using Wrapping

Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya (DOK KLHK)

JAKARTA - Minister of Environment and Forestry (LHK), Siti Nurbaya, asked COVID-19 patients who are self-isolating at home to wrap garbage or medical waste in plastic wrap.

This was conveyed by Siti after a limited meeting at the ministerial and institutional levels led by President Joko Widodo.

"We really encourage those who are self-isolating in the community, there must be a dropbox, there must be plastic wrapping, there must be transportation, and so on”, said Siti in the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube show, Wednesday, July 28.

Siti said medical waste should not be mixed with other household waste. This is because the waste of former COVID-19 patients has the potential to transmit the virus to others.

Regarding the distribution system of medical waste to landfills for destruction, Siti admitted that she was discussing technical issues with the Ministry of Transportation.

"It was agreed that the Minister of Transportation would see how this system, from self-isolation, would be transported to where it would be destroyed", said Siti.

On that occasion, Siti also explained that the amount of hazardous medical waste, especially related to handling COVID-19, reached tens of thousands of tons.

"According to data that was received by the central government and recorded by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, as of July 27, there were 18,460 tons of medical waste", said Siti.

However, this data has not been fully recorded and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry continues to try to improve it. Moreover, based on hospital association records, COVID-19 medical waste can reach 383 tons per day.

All waste comes from health care facilities from hospitals to self-quarantine isolation areas, COVID-19 testing sites, and vaccination sites. The medical waste consists of used infusions, masks, vaccine vaccines or bottles for disposable vaccines, syringes, face shields, bandages, hazmat, personal protective equipment (PPE), gloves, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits, and alcohol swabs or cleaners.