Surge in single-use plastic in pandemic poses threat: Study

Usage of single-use plastic has surged across the country amid the outbreak of Covid-19, posing a substantial threat to the public health and environment.
Besides, the increased use of single-use plastic-- including medical protective items-- produces huge waste. This has impacted the waste management system, causing health concern of waste collectors.
According to a research report, Covid-19 virus can survive from three days up to five days upon plastic surfaces which is longer than any other surface materials.
Across the country, about 14,500 tonnes of hazardous plastic waste has emerged from the use of single use surgical face masks, hand gloves and polythene bags in communities, hospitals and other health care facilities in the one month of nationwide shutdown due to coronavirus pandemic, according to a study of Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO).
Dhaka alone generated 3,076 tonnes of Covid-19 related single use plastic waste, it added.
Dr Shahriar Hossain, secretary general of ESDO, told the FE that they found "other side of coronavirus impact -- the intensified use of single-use plastic items which is a big concern as improper disposal of those plastic waste can cause massive environmental pollution including soil, water and air, apart from risks of spread of other infectious diseases."
ESDO study indicates about 5,796 tonnes of plastic waste in the single month while an estimated 455 million surgical masks were used in this period.
Besides, an estimated 250 tonnes of single use plastic waste have been generated from the hospitals during the last one month solely from the use of surgical masks and gloves by health professionals.
Furthermore, sample testing pathological laboratories dedicated for Covid-19 testing has generated an additional 1.1 tonnes of single use plastic waste, the study mentioned.
People are still not aware enough while we found used plastic items and medical protective items sporadically which is not only raising risks of Covid-19 infections but other infectious diseases, Dr Shahriar pointed.
Contrarily, the number of waste collectors has also been cut in manifold in the time of coronavirus pandemic, said experts.
"The waste management system is largely involved in the matter while the number of informal waste collectors reduced to 50 per cent in Dhaka in the time of corona raising the risk in the waste management system," he added.
"About 6,000 waste collectors are in the capital in the waste management with high risk of virus infection. Out of them, some 1,500-2,000 waste collectors fell sick so far in the timeframe," Dr Shahriar continued.
He emphasized required health safety for waste collectors saying "otherwise the whole waste management system in the capital would be face unescapable challenges to keep the city clean and safe for people. And we need inter-ministerial collaboration to this end."
The capital of the country comprises around five million households with nearly 0.26 million holdings unevenly distributed in 129 wards under Dhaka north and south city corporations, ESDO study reveals number of waste handling workers has reduced to about 50 per cent in Dhaka.
Chief Waste Management Officer of Dhaka North City Corporation M Manzur Hossain told the FE, "The number of formal waste collectors at the city corporation has not reduced in the corona time. Number of informal waste collectors might have been reduced. They (informal collectors) do not collect waste from households, they segregate waste from waste lands."
Tasks of normal waste collection and disposal are continuing to keep the city clean though the number of informal waste collectors has reduced due to coronavirus, he admitted.
There are, however, about one million informal waste collectors in the city to segregate waste from different waste dumping areas who are keeping themselves out of the job in corona pandemic, said Dr Shahriar.
"We are providing necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) items, face masks, hand sanitizers and other necessary materials to our waste management teams so that they can continue their jobs uninterruptedly in corona pandemic," M Manzur Hossain mentioned.
Furthermore, we have taken awareness measures among waste management workers and city dwellers, including providing instructions to city dwellers so that they hand over waste-- mainly used face masks, PPEs, single use plastic items and others-- locked in polybags to collectors on protection ground, he added.

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