Thursday, 23 September 2021 | PNS | Nainital
The Nainital district administration has directed municipal bodies to install separate bins in marketplaces for the proper disposal of used face masks. The chief development officer (CDO) Sandeep Tiwari told The Pioneer that the usage of face masks has increased considerably in the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic but their disposal with the regular garbage can cause damage to human health and the environment. He said that the administration wants people to develop a habit to dispose of their face masks separately as their usage may potentially increase with time.
“Many people throw used face masks in garbage bins and in open areas which can be harmful to humans as well as the environment. The administration is considering used masks as a bio-hazard and working for their proper disposal across the district. As an initiative, I have recently directed the municipal bodies to set up separate bins in crowded locations in their respective areas for the disposal of the used masks within one week,” said the CDO. He informed that the municipal bodies of Nainital and Haldwani have been directed primarily to install the separate bins for masks disposal and others will follow it afterwards. Tiwari stated that the administration is also considering making incinerators available in the municipal offices for proper masks disposal to avoid any further possibility of the spread of any kind of infection. Till then, the used masks will be disposed of like biomedical waste, said Tiwari.
