ABSTRACT
As a global concern, medical waste (MW) links public health, environmental pollution, and resource sustainability. This study aims to assess the two issues related to medical waste in Bahrain: the increasing generation rate of MW and its management. The integrated Environmental Assessment (IEA) methodology was adopted, including the DPSIR (Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact, Responses) framework, analysis of existing policies, and the outlook. Consequently, data were collected from official health statistics in Bahrain, and related policies for the last two decades (2001 to 2021) were also collected, in addition to interviews with Bahrain medical waste (BMW) treatment company. The results show a vast increase in medical waste during COVID-19. Moreover, most of the existing policies address the impact of the BMW issues, but the policies are lacking in tackling the drivers and pressures;there is also a policy gap related to the generation rate. Accordingly, a set of policies was proposed to overcome the two medical waste issues. Moreover, to overcome issues associated with MW, the study recommended reforming regulations aiming to reduce and manage medical waste efficiently in order to focus more on drivers and pressure causing an elevation in MW issues in Bahrain. © 2023 by the authors.
ABSTRACT
The global outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 has spurred a reassessment of Municipal Solid Waste management strategies and approaches. A significant need for sanitation and hygiene was accentuated for disease prevention and control with the onset of the pandemic. With an alteration of the status quo in waste management system, an unprecedented amount of face masks, protective equipment, and other biological wastes was generated in the form of Municipal Solid Waste. This upsurge of potentially infected wastes originated a risk of transmission amongst frontline workers. Furthermore, the potential contamination of Municipal Solid Waste was rendered as a legitimate threat due to improper collection practices, disposal and handling of solid waste. Several novel waste disposal techniques and waste management policies were also introduced during this period. However, the sanitation-policy making-occupational safety nexus remains inadequately explored under the prevalent COVID-19 scenario. Through the prism of shifting waste composition, this review offers a global assessment of existing solid waste management systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. The physiological and psychological hazards faced by the frontline workers were explored and instances of best-case and worst-case policies on solid waste handling were recorded. Modern methods of waste disposal and latest trends of policymaking were evaluated. A model study of unsupervised learning via Partition Around Medoids cluster analysis was undertaken to reveal underlying patterns of waste management policies. Although, the clusters were formed devoid of any socio-economic parameters, this study strives to indicate proof of concept and can serve as a precursor to advanced clustering studies. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.