A PIL seeking guidelines for the proper handling and disposal of facemasks was filed in the Supreme Coyurt on Wednesday. At present, the masks are being discharged as household garbage throughout the country. Proper disposal is essential for preventing relapse of Covid-19.
The petition was filed by Ankit Gupta, a final year law student at NLJU Bhopal. A law student has moved Supreme Court in a PIL praying for advisory/guidelines to be issued for proper handling and disposal of facemasks.The petitioner submitted that assessment of Covid threat led Government to make wearing of face-masks necessary and its non-compliance has been made punishable. The Petition mentions that use of face masks has skyrocketed since the same has been made mandatory and in absence of awareness of its proper handling and disposal the same are being discharged in the environment as household waste. Petitioner states,”There are also no guidelines issued by Mohfw to the local civic agencies in handling such face masks which are disposed of as household waste.”
It is contended that only solution to Covid19 is to break chain of community transmission, however, improper handling of such a biohazard will pose a great threat of staring another round of community transmission which will then be untraceable. The country is facing a lot on both community and social front due to COVID19 and it would not be feasible if community transmission kicks in again which has hitherto been contained due to nation-wide lockdown.
Petitioner also explains that threat of community transmission is also due to the fact that workers of civic agencies who collect domestic waste operate with danger of getting infected. The danger becomes more serious when same worker goes around locality the next day to collect domestic waste. The domestic waste is also after collection, first dumped in a nearby garbage house before beng taken to main garbage Centre. It increases possibility of further community transmission.
It was also submitted that Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued regular advisories for management of safe drinking water, use of N95 masks by health workers etc. Guidelines were also issued for mask wearing by public wherein, disposal method of masks has been provided in minimalistic manner. He avers, “The same has not been published through mass media on a scale which the situation now demand.”
Therefore, the PIL has been moved by Petitioner in absence of awareness regarding face mask disposal by public and any guideline/advisory by Health Ministry for handling of such bio-hazard waste.
Hence, the petitioner sought a direction to the Centre to issue an advisory/guideline/standard operating procedure for local civic agencies for proper handling and disposal of facemasks which are being disposed off as domestic waste from household. Prayer for awareness campaign to be run through mass media for propagating correct way of facemask disposal is also made.
-India Legal Bureau