Global Distribution of COVID-19 Medical Waste

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that by November 2021, approximately 1.5 billion units of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Covid-19 had been distributed worldwide.

Unfortunately, all of this PPE is single-use, meaning it will inevitably become medical waste posing a significant threat to health and environmental sustainability.

The WHO estimates that the highest concentration of PPE waste is in the WHO African Region (AFR), comprising 23,000 tons of essential PPE (masks, gloves) and 18,000 tons of non-essential PPE (hair covers, face shields, coveralls, boot covers, aprons).

The second highest concentration of PPE waste is estimated to be in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), with 11,000 tons of essential PPE and 9,000 tons of non-essential PPE.

The WHO European Region (EUR) is estimated to have 5,300 tons of essential PPE waste and 3,000 tons of non-essential PPE waste.

In the WHO South-East Asian Region (SEAR), the WHO estimates 2,800 tons of essential PPE waste and 2,000 tons of non-essential PPE waste.

The WHO Western Pacific Region (WPR) is estimated to have 1,300 tons of essential PPE waste and 2,000 tons of non-essential PPE waste.

Finally, the WHO Region of the Americas (AMR) is estimated to have 2,100 tons of essential PPE waste and 1,100 tons of non-essential PPE waste.

To address this issue, the WHO encourages the international community to increase investment in medical waste management, develop reusable and easily recyclable PPE, and reduce unnecessary PPE consumption by implementing safe and rational PPE usage systems.