Tackling India’s biomedical waste crisis

With 700 tons of biomedical waste being disposed of everyday in India, how do we stop it from becoming a ticking time bomb?

The total amount of waste disposed has drastically increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a rise in the number of healthcare facilities. Medical waste comprises syringes, bandages, pharmaceutical equipment and by products. Improper biomedical waste disposal can lead to contamination of soil or water, spreading of diseases and increase in health risk of people who come in contact with the waste like sanitation workers. To tackle this situation, Synergy Waste Management is a company that is utilising innovative solutions to dispose of the waste in a correct manner. 

Synergy Waste Management has made waste disposal less hazardous to us since 2001. They have projects in Meerut, Hisar, Barabanki, Bhagalpur, and Gaya. They have state of the art facilities which operate with modern technology like incineration, autoclaving and shredding to treat all kinds of waste including infectious waste. Their facilities meet international environmental and safety requirements and standards. Additionally, their logistics is efficient and even extends to rural areas of India. Utilising GPS enabled vehicles to reach locations such as hospitals, clinics and healthcare centers and back to the treatment facilities on time. 

Other initiative by Synergy Waste Management

• They collaborate with local governments and organisations to set up small scale facilities to address the waste management in rural areas. 

• They conduct workshops for professionals to increase or reinforce knowledge on waste segregation and disposal practices.

• To achieve the sustainable development goals, they prioritize recycling and using energy efficient equipment in their operations to reduce their carbon footprint. 

In order to withstand the force with which India's healthcare sector is growing and the volume of bio medical waste is increasing, Synergy has started to research and explore into new and advanced technologies such as plasma pyrolysis and other recycling methods. 

According to me, such companies provide the right combination of technology, awareness and infrastructure to our country and it aids in our growth and is leading us to reach a cleaner and healthier India. As individuals in an educated society, we can play our part and participate in waste collection drives that campaign for proper disposal. To effectively tackle this crisis, investments in advanced waste treatment equipment, infrastructure and campaigns should be prioritised. 

Source: https://www.synergywastemgmt.com/index.html

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/health-care-waste#:~:text=The%20disposal%20of%20untreated%20health,waste%20should%20be%20a%20priority.