Strict medical waste disposal helps control secondary pollution

North China's Hebei province has ordered organizations or companies to deal with medical waste related to the novel coronavirus pneumonia carefully and safely to make sure no secondary pollution or cross-transmission will take place, according to the province's top environment supervisor.

Medical waste, including used masks, protective suits and gloves, as well as waste water from hospitals treating infected patients, must be collected separately and delivered for treatment to render it harmless within 24 hours, said the Hebei Provincial Bureau of Ecology and Environment.

The waste from fever clinics and isolated places for observing suspected cases, as well as patients' other living waste also are required to be treated this way, it said.

The waste is transported in special designated vehicles that will be cleaned and disinfected according to strict standards.

Hospitals and fever clinics are required to treat their waste water as soon as possible and are banned from discharging it without treatment that is up to standards.

The waste generated in residential communities that have confirmed or suspected cases of the virus will be treated the same way as medical waste.

Other communities, villages, working places and public areas are equipped with special trash cans for collecting masks and other related waste.

Similar measures are being taken in other places.

In Beijing's Haidian district, public areas including supermarkets and shopping malls are equipped with tens of specially used trash cans for collecting used masks.

Cleaners will clear the cans frequently and the waste will be treated carefully.