The World Health Organization said that the amount of waste generated by the Covid-19 epidemic poses a threat to the environment and human health.
The organization added that used medical equipment such as needles pose a threat to health, while the increase in plastic waste is straining waste management systems.
The World Health Organization, in a report, called on producing companies to use more biodegradable materials, as well as packaging that preserves the environment.
She also spoke of the "urgent need" to reform the way waste is disposed of globally.
The items being disposed of by healthcare facilities include protective clothing, syringes, gloves, face masks and medical examination kits.
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It is absolutely essential to provide health care workers with appropriate personal protective equipment, but it is also necessary to ensure that they are used safely without affecting the surrounding environment.
The 71-page report concluded that most of the 1.5 billion medical items distributed by the United Nations in the early months of the pandemic ended up in landfills.
The report said that disposable gloves contributed to more waste than anything else purchased through the UN system.
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WHO guidance does not recommend requiring healthcare workers to wear gloves while administering the COVID-19 vaccine, despite this being common practice in many places.
One of the studies cited by the report revealed that 3.4 billion masks for personal use were discarded daily in 2020 around the world.
Since most masks are made of plastic, waste may cause land and water pollution, especially in countries with less developed waste management systems.
The World Health Organization has also concluded that more than half of healthcare facilities in poor countries are unable to handle waste safely.
The world's first eight billion doses of COVID vaccine generated 144,000 tons of waste in the form of syringes and needles, which could cause injuries to healthcare workers if improperly disposed.
The report also highlighted innovative ways to sustainably reuse medical waste, including an example in Australia, where researchers used discarded face masks as road construction materials by cutting and drying them at high temperatures.