Yellow bins push up Covid waste collection in Kolkata

KOLKATA: There has been a rise in Covid waste collected from households across the city over the past month, especially with streamlining of the waste collection system after installation of yellow bins.
A spokesperson of a private agency responsible for collection of the city’s Covid waste from households in all 144 wards said, “Even a couple of months ago we would collect 500kg of Covid waste at the most. But now we need to collect 4 tonnes daily. Installation of yellow bins and an increase in the number of Covid-positive patients in home isolation are two reasons for the surge.”

Sources in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) health department said the yellow bins were installed after the private agency engaged by the civic body complained of kitchen waste mixing with Covid waste from large households. “After we installed yellow bins — earmarked for Covid waste — in all KMC wards, the agency has witnessed a steep rise in deposition of such waste, particularly in the Covid-sensitive zones. We are in the process of installing similar bins in areas according to requirement,” said a KMC health department official.

According to a civic health department official, the civic body was worried about Covid waste, like PPE, masks, gloves, medicine strips and adult diapers, on roads or waste compactor stations since that had the potential of being a health hazard. “Now, after installation of yellow bins exclusively meant for disposal of Covid waste, we don’t see discarded PPE, mask and other things littering the roads so much. This has brought some relief to our Covid-combat teams,” a KMC health official said.
However, not everyone had been adhering to the rules in neighbourhoods where the density of Covid-positive patients in home isolation is high. “Initially, we were surprised to see kitchen waste and even construction waste being disposed of in the yellow bins. This mixture of wastes went on for a week and then we took up the matter with KMC ward coordinators and borough executive health officers,” said a spokesperson of Greentech, a private agency assigned by the KMC to collect Covid waste.