COVID-19 Response & Sustainable Clinical Waste Management
Addressing COVID-19 challenges with sustainable clinical waste solutions, ensuring safe disposal, compliance, and environmental responsibility.
Beginning in 2020, the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease hit Malaysia. Collexe, Cenviro & DOE joint force embarked on a special project governing the responsible disposal of contaminated COVID-19 waste. Ensure straight compliance to the MCO SOP to effectively suppress the risk of spreading COVID-19 virus.
Approach and Milestone
The government will have a quicker base to make crucial decisions, a complete overview of the collection & treatment operation and more effective governance.
Improve the reporting for both Ministry of Health and Department of Environment, which is 7 days prior to the solution implementation, down to near real-time.
Since 2014, the Department of Environmental Malaysia (DOE) has created a system, namely eSWIS, to regulate the industries and helps facilitate the tracking of scheduled waste. The data is recorded from the point of waste generated, transported, until where and how the waste is treated. With the rise of clinical waste during the COVID-19 outbreak, handling mistakes may jeopardize public safety.
The virus also could spread from the healthcare facilities to the environment if there is lack of proper handling and clinical waste management (CWM). Some of the adverse effects to human health associated with CW and byproducts may include the following: sharps-inflicted injuries; toxic exposure from pharmaceutical products in particular antibiotic and cytotoxic drugs released to the environment; substances such as mercury and dioxin; air pollution arising from results of the particulate matter during incineration of CW; and thermal injuries occurring in conjunction with open burning and operation of CW and radiation burn.
Proper decontamination of clinical waste process in Malaysia
Request for Collection / Handling
Waste is Handled and Transported by Certified Entity
Integrated Operation Support & Service Offering
Creating a Safe & Resilience Society, as well as Environmental Sustainability
The project is advancing SDG-11 to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. The proposed solution was designed and developed from the core to digitally enable the regulator, enforcer and responsible counterpart (waste generator or receiver) to effectively handle waste while reducing the environmental impact on cities & the county.
Furthermore, the solutions in the project raise special attention to hazardous waste management, which is harmful to the society, jeopardising the environment and driving climate change impacts.
How we Achieve our Goal
Contactless Collection Management
Smart Agent
Compliance
Digital Governance Made Possible
Project Impact
Needs Assessment
The project reduces the spread of COVID-19 resulting from contamination to the hazardous waste. Further extending the coverage in this SDG because of the improvement in monitoring & regulator enforcement will ensure less illegal dumping but more secure handling for public health & environment safety
Climate Action
75% of global warming by greenhouse gas is caused by carbon dioxide, while the remaining may come from methane and nitrous oxide. Methane is 86 times more potent than CO2 in increasing the temperature over the 20-year time frame.
Illegal dumping may contribute to the increase of methane from the pile of unmanaged waste. Therefore, the proposed solution completes the waste handling cycle, starting from generation, handling of the waste, and final proper treatment. This complete end-to-end governance significantly reduces improper handling of waste and helps reduce climate impact.
Protecting Life Below Water
Illegal dumping may increase the possibility of liquid pollutants being absorbed by the land, which may pollute the river and ocean. However, if managed improperly, plastic waste generated from clinical waste may spread critical viruses and diseases and pollute the sea.
Protecting Life on Land
More waste can be collected and treated faster because the collected data leads to more excellent decision-making and insight into effective planning for treatment facilities with the local authority. Furthermore, less pollution on the land embraces a healthier living environment on the planet.
Benefit for People
General Public
General Public are the project’s priority and most significant beneficiary. To ensure the successful implementation of the project is to create a safe & resilient society believing in the proper handling of clinical waste despite the rise of COVID cases.
Authority
DOE officer is the subsequent project beneficiary. The project’s successful implementation will provide a quicker base for the government to make crucial decisions, a complete overview of the collection & treatment operation and more effective governance.
Waste Generator and Receiver
Waste Generator & Receiver benefits in the aspect of significantly reduces of data processing time, from seven days to just one day. It also created changes that would dramatically increase the efficiency of waste management operations by reducing complexity and paperwork.