{"id":8603,"date":"2022-01-12T08:20:11","date_gmt":"2022-01-12T08:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks"},"modified":"2022-01-12T10:52:55","modified_gmt":"2022-01-12T10:52:55","slug":"experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks","title":{"rendered":"Experts call for sensitisation on safe disposal of face masks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Face masks are essential for controlling the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and they have become an everyday accessory. However, there is a risk that comes with the use of single-use face masks and PPE shields \u2014 they put the gains made in environmental conservation in jeopardy\u2014 particularly if they are not carefully disposed of.<\/p>\n

Abias Maniragaba, a Lecturer at the University of Lay Adventists of Kigali, says that face masks should be sorted from other waste because they are considered to be hazardous.<\/p>\n

As the country has put in place strict measures to deal with coronavirus, face mask-wearing is mandatory to wade off the virus, which has so far killed 1,384 people in the country.<\/p>\n

Therefore, a huge chunk of face masks is not disposed of properly, potentially posing human health and environmental threats. \u201cSome people treat face mask waste like any other garbage,\u201d Maniragaba said.<\/p>\n

To him, homes should have a specific bag for face masks instead of mixing them with other waste. \u201cGarbage collectors must also carry them separately from other waste,\u201d he added, calling for a nationwide campaign to sensitise people on waste sorting.<\/p>\n

According to the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) guidelines, solid waste must be sorted, collected and transported to appropriate destinations in accordance with the law NO 48\/2018 of 13\/08\/2018 on Environment.<\/p>\n

REMA also states used face masks must be isolated from other wastes\u2014in households and offices. \u201cIt\u2019s prohibited to dispose of anywhere, burn or mix with other municipal solid waste the used face masks,\u201d reads part of the guidelines.<\/p>\n

The document adds that the waste should be disposed of in a dry place exclusively used for the face masks disposal within people\u2019s homes, workspaces or at any other essential service provider\u2019s space and that they should be within a 4-meter distance from people\u2019s activities or sleeping area.<\/p>\n

According to Paulin Buregeya, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Compagnie pour l\u2019Environnement et D\u00e9veloppement au Rwanda (COPED) Ltd, they are currently carrying out sensitisation on how to sort and dispose of used face masks, adding that they provide them with materials like bags and a sorting guiding document to ease their work.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we collect used face masks, we separate them from other wastes. We do not recycle them; we dispose of them as waste. Masks are among wastes that are too dangerous like medical waste because we suspect people who have used them to have respiratory diseases or viruses,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He says it is safer to mix face mask waste with other medical waste. \u201cIf they can put them in their own sacks, that will be very good because we are looking forward to working with pharmacies where people can freely bring them and we can collect them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Among the guidelines for disposal of face masks, the place where the face masks were disposed of must not be used again before being disinfected with appropriate sanitary products.<\/p>\n

In addition, the waste must not be within children\u2019s reach and must be conserved well until it is transported to the sellers of those face masks, at any healthcare centre or pharmacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll authorised face mask sellers, health care facilities must put in place separate facilities to temporarily store used face masks from the population,\u201d the document further reads.<\/p>\n

Zoubeda Faida, an environmental activist and co-founder of Save Environment Initiative (SEI), a non-governmental organisation, says public awareness is still needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people understand why they should separate the used face masks from other waste, they will help in conserving the environment while preventing pollution,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She disclosed that some of the reasons why waste should be sorted is for people to know which kind of waste can be reused or recycled and make them easily available for companies that need them as resources.<\/p>\n

She said that it also prevents pollution, adding that if people keep throwing masks anywhere, they can contaminate the environment including other people and transmit viruses like Covid-19.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a few people who sort out waste because they have understood its importance. We count that as a great contribution to the environment and ecosystem conservation. Those people are the ones that sort used face masks from other waste,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. Face masks are essential for controlling the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and they have become an everyday accessory. However, there is a risk that comes with the use of single-use face masks and PPE shields \u2014 they put the gains made in environmental conservation in jeopardy\u2014 particularly if they are not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":8602,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,30,28],"tags":[760,763,758],"class_list":["post-8603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","category-homepage-english","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-rwanda","tag-rwanda"],"yoast_head":"\nExperts call for sensitisation on safe disposal of face masks - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Face masks are essential for controlling the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and they have become an everyday accessory. ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Experts call for sensitisation on safe disposal of face masks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Face masks are essential for controlling the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and they have become an everyday accessory. ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-01-12T08:20:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-01-12T10:52:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2022\/01\/img-61deb2c07e99a.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1556\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1036\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Experts call for sensitisation on safe disposal of face masks\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-01-12T08:20:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-01-12T10:52:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks\"},\"wordCount\":729,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2022\/01\/img-61deb2c07e99a.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Rwanda\",\"Rwanda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Community\",\"homepage-english\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks\",\"name\":\"Experts call for sensitisation on safe disposal of face masks - Rwanda\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2022\/01\/img-61deb2c07e99a.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-01-12T08:20:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-01-12T10:52:55+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"Face masks are essential for controlling the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and they have become an everyday accessory. ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2022\/01\/img-61deb2c07e99a.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2022\/01\/img-61deb2c07e99a.jpg\",\"width\":1556,\"height\":1036,\"caption\":\"Experts call for sensitisation on safe disposal of face masks\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Experts call for sensitisation on safe disposal of face masks\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/\",\"name\":\"Rwanda\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Experts call for sensitisation on safe disposal of face masks - Rwanda","description":"Face masks are essential for controlling the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and they have become an everyday accessory. ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Experts call for sensitisation on safe disposal of face masks","og_description":"Face masks are essential for controlling the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and they have become an everyday accessory. ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks","og_site_name":"Rwanda","article_published_time":"2022-01-12T08:20:11+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-01-12T10:52:55+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1556,"height":1036,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2022\/01\/img-61deb2c07e99a.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Experts call for sensitisation on safe disposal of face masks","datePublished":"2022-01-12T08:20:11+00:00","dateModified":"2022-01-12T10:52:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks"},"wordCount":729,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2022\/01\/img-61deb2c07e99a.jpg","keywords":["Africa Press","Africa Press-Rwanda","Rwanda"],"articleSection":["all news","Community","homepage-english"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks","name":"Experts call for sensitisation on safe disposal of face masks - Rwanda","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2022\/01\/img-61deb2c07e99a.jpg","datePublished":"2022-01-12T08:20:11+00:00","dateModified":"2022-01-12T10:52:55+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"Face masks are essential for controlling the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and they have become an everyday accessory. ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2022\/01\/img-61deb2c07e99a.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2022\/01\/img-61deb2c07e99a.jpg","width":1556,"height":1036,"caption":"Experts call for sensitisation on safe disposal of face masks"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-call-for-sensitisation-on-safe-disposal-of-face-masks#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Experts call for sensitisation on safe disposal of face masks"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/","name":"Rwanda","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8603\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}