(Photo by Eric PIERMONT / AFP)

 

By Veena Thoopkrajae with additional report by Sukhumaporn Laiyok

 

After a steep decline early this year, coronavirus cases are again on the rise due to the fast-spreading Delta variant. The surge has led to an increased demand for medical products, resulting in bigger quantities of used personal protective equipment (PPE) like surgical masks, face shields, and gloves as well as tissues and antigen test kits (ATKs) in the rubbish.

 

Contaminated and medical waste has piled up across the country since the onset of the latest wave in April, most notably in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, and Rayong.

 

According to the Department of Health (DoH) figures, at least 294 tonnes of contaminated waste is being generated per day throughout the country, with a rise of 94 percent recorded between July and August 2021 alone. The forecast is that it will reach 330 tonnes at the end of August. And the amount of used face masks and ATKs is predicted to surge as the Covid-19 pandemic continues.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/segregation-the-answer-to-contaminated-waste-experts-say/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-08-19

 

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Solving a non problem? "Coronaviruses die very quickly when exposed to the UV light in sunlight. Like other enveloped viruses, SARS-CoV-2 survives longest when the temperature is at room temperature or lower, and when the relative humidity is low (<50%)." from wikipedia. That's western room temperature and how often do we see humidity below 50%?

They keep going on about this - there are now stories almost every day. But I have yet to see red trash bags being given out, or even sold; I have yet to see any of the orange bins they tell us to use (apparently they've been conveniently placed in parks and department stores, both of which are currently closed); and I have yet to see any indication that any "segregated" garbage would really be processed differently than the regular garbage that it's mixed with.

 

Bangkok has had separate bins for recyclables, wet trash, and dry trash for years now, yet everything is thrown into the same truck. The people giving these endless lessons on proper disposal are probably well intentioned, but appear to be living in an alternate reality.

My Moo Baan has one area of bins all the same, just chuck it in.

When the truck comes, all the bins get emptied into the back.

I'm normally against this for environmental reasons but, burn it.

Incineration for all waste needs to be prioritised first, preferably with energy recovery. Landfills are not the answer. segregation of recyclable materials needs to be encouraged more than just on the profit basis. Composting of suitable waste also. The environment will be the better for it.