Collection centres get an influx of used disposable and cloth masks with dry waste

Lack of segregation of masks as bio medical waste poses a health hazard

Every day, Kumuda, a waste-picker who manages the Dry Waste Collection Centre (DWCC) in J.P. Nagar ward, sorts used disposable masks and reusable cloth masks that have been discarded with dry waste. Over the last few weeks, with cases surging, people have been doubling masking, with disposable and cloth masks. But cloth masks, instead of being reused, are discarded. What’s also worrying is that more often than not, masks are not segregated.

“At the very least, we get over a hundred used masks every day. Though they are supposed to be discarded along with household biomedical and sanitary waste, it lands up in the DWCCs,” said Ms. Kumuda.

Last year, fed up with finding disposable masks in dry waste, which is a health hazard, many operators and managers of DWCCs had made short videos explaining how to responsibly dispose of medical waste. “After that, the numbers dropped. However, over the past two-three weeks, people are back to discarding masks with regular dry waste,” she added.