Published: June 17th, 2022,
Last updated: June 17th, 2022
Masks, rubber gloves, disposable protective suits, test swabs – pandemic control has unexpected side effects here and there: Today, Ning Wang looks at waste. In China, the prevailing belief is that the virus can be transmitted on surfaces or through food. That’s why deliveries to homes are wrapped in plastic three times. Add the fact that billions of rapid tests must be disposed of as hazardous medical waste. The result is a 40-fold increase in the daily volume of waste. China’s otherwise clean boom metropolises choke under mountains of garbage. But a wider problem is emerging: Government plans to reduce plastic are being set back years.