An article by Siming You, Christian Sonne and Yong Sik Oh titled Covid-19’s

unsustainable waste management that was published on June 26, 2020 talks about how

the Coronavirus 2019 pandemic has lead to an abrupt waste management chains,

medical and domestic waste that is, to most of the places all over the world including

Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, Bangkok and in United Kingdom that has greater

socioeconomic and environmental impacts and how to address the overflow of waste

specifically medical waste to reduce its effects and incorporate disaster preparedness

and resilience.

Yes, it is inevitable to have excess waste especially medical waste since a lot of

personal protective equipment (e.g. face masks) which are mostly disposable or for a

single use only are needed to combat the infectious virus, COVID-19. However, it is just

unfortunate that most places facing excess waste couldn’t manage it properly. As a

citizen of the Philippines, it is just heartbreaking to see how COVID-19 not just affected

the lives of the Filipino people but also threatens the environment. I am afraid that if this

solid waste management issue won’t get resolved, another serious environmental

problem would arise putting the globe at risk again. Thus, it is important to strictly

implement the existing solid waste management protocols in every country and look for

then enforce long term effective strategies to eventually address solid waste issues.

In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed vulnerabilities in waste

management chains, which could hinder disease containment and increase

environmental pollution. But this isn’t the end of it. As the Philippine Government’s

tagline states #WeHealAsOne, beyond all our worries, we can always choose to face

Covid19 and environmental problems with bravery and together address the said

issues, even in our own little ways, to heal the planet.