Covid Waste 'must Be Properly Dealt With'

The government has reminded workers and cleaning contractors involved with its universal coronavirus testing scheme that waste generated from the test centres should be properly handled, after waste was spotted on an expressway on Hong Kong Island.

In a statement, officials said that waste from the test centres needed to be handled in accordance with guidelines by the Centre for Health Protection to ensure the health and safety of the public.

They said that according to the guidelines, the waste must be put in plastic rubbish bags and temporarily stored in a designated waste-collection point at the test centre, and special dispatch vehicles will collect the waste and send it to refuse-transfer stations for disposal on a daily basis.

According to the statement, the government said it has not been notified by cleaning contractors that they were unable to comply with the arrangement.

The statement followed reports that waste believed to come from Covid-19 test centres was found scattered on the Island Eastern Corridor and several neighbouring communities.

It included used face masks, protective gear, face shields and gloves used by medical personnel.

Shau Kei Wan district councillor Michael Kwok said he has seen such waste dumped from some centres, just like rubbish.

"Every night they just put those waste in front of the testing centre without any labels and they use some ordinary black plastic bags to store these kinds of waste," Kwok said.

He said he thinks it's irresponsible for the government not to treat the potentially infectious items as medical waste.