The Industry Ministry is turning to factories and power-generating facilities to help manage medical waste, which the Department of Health expects will reach almost 800 tonnes a day in April due to surging Covid-19 infections.
"We are seeing a sharp increase in medical waste, especially antigen test kits (ATKs). We estimate that the total amount nationwide will be 789 tonnes a day next month on average, exceeding management capacity at 342 tonnes a day," Department of Health director-general Dr Atthaphon Kaewsamrit said.
Staff have coordinated with the departments of industrial works and local administration, Nonthaburi municipality and other agencies to find an alternative means of disposal for waste such as masks, ATKs and personal protective equipment.
The Industry Ministry's efforts include enticing factories and power plants to use Covid-contaminated waste as fuel in a measure announced on Oct 8.
Eleven factories including industrial incinerators and cement plants will join this effort, along with power plants. They can manage a total of 1,189 tonnes of waste a day, increasing the nation's capacity to deal with medical waste to 1,531 tonnes per day, he added.
Dr Atthaphon went on to mention that people staying at home and those in community isolation must separate general waste such as ATK documents or packaging from infectious waste that is contaminated with bodily fluids, saliva and mucus including tissue paper, single-use food containers and ATKs.
"I don't recommend people incinerate infectious waste themselves, or use cremation furnaces," he said.
He suggested communities dump their infectious waste at prearranged spots for proper disposal to ensure it is safely destroyed.
If the infectious waste management system is inaccessible in certain areas, the waste must be disinfected before it is left at rubbish dumps used by the general public, Dr Atthaphon said.