Lahore: Clinical waste being recycled into household items

Risking a serious biohazard, the clinical waste of private as well as government hospitals is being sold openly to be recycled into household items here in Lahore, Geo News reported.

Geo News correspondents were shocked to find heaps of clinical waste like blood bags, dextrose empties, disposable syringes, used medicine containers, cannulas, dialysis tubes, surgical masks, gloves etc up for the grabs for anyone. The owner of the scrap shop told Geo News that hospital officials sell this waste to dealers like us. He added that moulders buy this scrap and recycle the plastic into various items of daily usage like straws, utensils, toys, baby feeder nipples etc. “The moulding factories thoroughly wash this waste before they melt it at high temperature to turn it into plastic granules, which is then moulded into different items of human use”, said the scrap seller. He argued that no germ could survive after a high-temperature treatment. The story, after Geo News aired it, also shook the sleeping regulators out of their slumber. Jumping into action the Environment Department sealed two godowns and two factories where clinical waste was sold and recycled respectively. The news broken by Geo also moved the Punjab government into forming a committee to investigate the violations stated above. The committee formed has been tasked to come up with a report within five days.