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The Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network Task Force on Waste Monitoring just recently arranged a webinar suggesting companies on sustainable, reliable and safe disposal of individual safety equipment (PPE) remedies and ideal techniques for dealing with COVID 19 postured waste management obstacles in workplaces.

The webinar, titled Ensuring a Safe Disposal of PPE and COVID 19 Related Waste, examined safe disposal practices for biohazardous waste, which includes single-use gloves, aprons and gowns, surgical masks, face protectors in the form of glasses, goggles or face shields.

Participants were briefed on guidelines for disposing of and recycling a high volume of a massive amount of medical and electronic waste safely and efficiently.

During the event, a panel was joined by Ms Dina Ataig Mohamed, Infection Control Officer, Ministry of Health and Prevention, Mr Andre- Louis Brenie, General Manager, Suez Middle East Recycling LLC, Mr Youssef Chechade, Managing Partner Ecyclex and Ms Nadia Ibrahim, Head of Consultancy, Farnek, who shared their experiences and advice for businesses on PPE use and waste management.

Among the main referrals from the panellists was the need for businesses to advise employees on procedures for removing PPE like gloves, considered the most contaminated waste, should be removed first to ensure health and safety.

According to panellists, it is crucial to promptly discard of PPE waste after elimination, to stop infection of the clean area, while hand wash before as well as quickly after must be common practice after eliminating PPE Waste. Another idea was making use of FFP2 (N95) cleanable masks to minimize the amount of PPE waste built up. Regarding the recycling of waste, professionals highlighted the importance of staff member interaction and training.

Collection drives can be organised at centralized areas with the help of a recycler who is set to collect and recycle different types of e-waste. "The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a different challenge to the business community in dealing with large amounts of PPE and electronic waste. So, companies must promote their employees to reuse and recycle e-waste in environmentally friendly ways," said Dr. Belaid Rettab, Senior Director, Economic Research and Sustainable Business Development Sector, Dubai Chamber.

Dr. Rettab remarked that the webinar proved to be an excellent platform for member companies of the task force to share best practices and learn about guidelines put in place by the Ministry of Health and Prevention and Dubai Municipality for the safe disposal of PPE. He added that the event highlighted the need to raise awareness among employees to follow and adopt safe disposal practices for their waste.

The Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network is a necessary platform for the business community to exchange information and practices on subjects linked to corporate social responsibility and sustainability.

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