COVID-19 Medical Waste Management Recycling: Opportunities & Challenges in India

While there has been notable reuse of single-use personal protection equipment (PPE) that can reduce the amount of medical waste produced, this is unlikely to have a dramatic impact on the generation of medical waste. Continued innovations will play a more prominent role in the future to offset and decrease medical waste volumes. Concerning the global market for medical waste management, there will be a strong demand in the coming months and years for additional facility capacity and for advanced solutions that deliver improved efficiency and better return on investment. Principal methods for medical waste treatment include incineration, autoclaving, and chemical treatment. While some waste materials must be incinerated, many countries in Europe and North America have implemented autoclaving and chemical treatment methods as more sustainable and safer methods of disposal. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the global economy and disrupted the waste, plastic, and recycling industries.