Yamuna River Cleaning

PSEC’s Yamuna Cleaning Campaign at Hathi Ghat, Agra focused on removing waste from the riverbank and educating the public on responsible disposal. Volunteers collected and segregated biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, promoting sustainable habits for a cleaner future.

Waste produced in the health care sector can prove highly hazardous, more so in the  pandemic era. If not treated, these biomedical wastes can contribute to the rapid spread of  coronavirus and other infections. Biomedical waste is any waste containing infectious or  potentially infectious materials. These wastes are generated during the diagnosis, treatment,  and immunization of humans and animals. Biomedical wastes can be in both solid and liquid  forms. Examples of biomedical wastes include:

• Waste sharps such as needles, lancets, syringes, scalpels, and broken glass
• Human tissues or identifiable body parts (as a result of amputation)
• Animal tissues and waste from veterinary hospitals
• Used bandage, dressings, gloves, and other medical supplies
• Liquid waste from infected areas
• Laboratory wastes

Effects of Biomedical Waste

The improper biomedical waste management causes severe environmental complications that  in turn causes air, water and land pollution. The pollutants that cause impairment can be  grouped as biological, chemical and radioactive. The radioactive waste produced as part of bio-  medical waste may have se-verse effects on air, radioactive, land, human health and  environment, Air Pollution Air pollution may be in indoors and outdoors atmosphere and it can  be caused by pathogens. If the Biomedical waste is transported without pre-treatment or if it is  dumped in open areas, pathogens can easily transfer into the atmosphere.

ypes of Biomedical Waste, The world Health Organization (WHO) has  categorized biomedical waste into eight categories.

They are:

• Infectious Waste – Any biomedical waste that is infectious or  contaminated.

• Sharps – Sharps objects like needles, scalpels, broken glass, and razors.

• Pathological Waste – Body parts of humans or animals, including  tissues, fluids, or blood.

• Pharmaceutical Waste – Unused drugs, medicine, or creams that are  expiring.

• Genotoxic Waste – Toxic drugs and hazardous toxic waste

• Radioactive Waste – Any waste containing potentially radioactive

materials

• Chemical Waste – Liquid waste from machines, batteries, and  disinfectants is chemical.

• General/Other Waste – All other non-hazardous waste.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPBC) has designated separate colour-  coded bins to dispose of biomedical wastes as per their nature.

Yellow Bin: For anatomical waste, chemical waste, soiled waste,  chemotherapy waste, discarded linen and medicines, and laboratory waste.

Red Bin: For contaminated plastic wastes

Blue Bin: For glass waste and metallic implants

Black Bin: For hazardous and other waste