The EcoWaste Coalition has underscored the need to separate waste materials contaminated by the new coronavirus from recyclable items as a way of protecting informal waste workers and recyclers from getting infected with the deadly coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

“We reiterate our plea to all waste generators to separate discarded materials at the point of generation to keep our environmental frontliners such as the waste workers safe from COVID-19 and other diseases,” Jove Benosa, the group's zero waste campaigner, said in a statement Tuesday, April 27.

The group made the plea on the eve of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, which is celebrated on April 28.

The Philippines also achieved on Monday, April 26 an unenviable milestone in recording over one million COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began last year.

“Used face masks, tissues, wipes and other potentially infectious waste should not be mixed with other discards and should be properly disposed of to avoid them from polluting our streets and the oceans,” Benosa said.

The environment and health watchdog said that while the COVID-19 virus is mainly passed from person-to-person through respiratory droplets, studies have also suggested that the virus can remain alive on the surface of some materials for varying amounts of time.

“We therefore need to keep COVID-contaminated waste materials separate from recyclables and compostables to reduce risk of exposure among waste collectors and recyclers who often handle trash with minimal protection,” Benosa pointed out.

He said the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as protective garments, gloves, glasses and shoes; the lack of access to water and soap or hand sanitizers; and the poor compliance to mandatory waste segregation at source makes the job of waste workers prone to occupational hazards.

“To prevent and reduce occupational hazards, we request the public to make waste segregation a habit," Benosa said. He added that local governments and disposal sites must ensure waste workers’ access to PPEs as well as hand washing stations.

EcoWaste Coalition and other environmental groups have also pitched for the inclusion of waste workers as a priority sector in the ongoing mass vaccination program against COVID-19.

“Ensuring early access to COVID-19 vaccine will undeniably provide health and economic benefits to our waste workers and their families,” the group said.