TN pollution board to set up more biomedical waste treatment

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board is considering setting up of more Common Biomedical Waste Treatment and Disposal Facilities in the state to handle increasing waste generated by hospitals and labs, an official said Thursday.

At present, the state has 11 facilities.

Kancheepuram and Coimbatore districts have two CBWTDF each, Thanjavur, Vellore, Virudhunagar, Salem, Tirunelveli, Nilgiris and Ramanathapuram districts one each.

On an average, 43 tons of waste from hospitals, labs and clinics generated is handled by these facilities everyday.

Three more facilities are in the process of being set up in Tiruvallur, Cuddalore and Tiruppur districts.

Noting that there was an increase in biomedical waste generated, a TNPCB official told PTI that more CBWTF facilities were needed to handle it.

"Waste from a hospital should not be stored for more than 48 hours. With increasing waste, there is a need for more such facilities," the official said.

TNPCB, however, did not quantify the amount of waste that has increased.

A board release said it was inviting applications from project proponents to identify suitable land and to establish CBWTFs.

CBWTF is a facility that consists of autoclave, shredder, incinerator and secured land fill facilities to treat and dispose the waste.

Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016, mandates proper treatment of biomedical waste generated from hospitals, clinics, dispensaries, veterinary institutions, animal houses, pathological laboratories, blood banks, forensic labs among other establishments.

State pollution control boards are responsible for monitoring proper management of biomedical waste, according to the rules.