06/12/2021
The Silent Plague ...
COVID has brought with it many changes to the daily lives of each one of us, but beyond what we see and hear, a silent epidemic occurs under our noses.
The plastic and medical waste that is created in using masks, vaccines and other medical procedures causes an increase and accumulation of waste at an alarming rate.
While it is likely to see an increase in waste production following recent events, new studies are revealing the fate of these wastes and their effects on humans and the environment on Earth.
And now for the numbers:
From the beginning of 2020 to August 2021, about 8.5 million tons of surplus plastic waste were generated worldwide (beyond normal production). Scientific estimates show that in that time span, over 25,000 tons of medical waste has reached the ocean. Of these, more than 1.5 billion used face masks are found in the sea today.
We currently produce about 2 billion tons of waste worldwide each year, with about 33% of that amount (extremely conservative estimates!) Not treated at all. Every year this amount grows at an increasing rate, by 2050 the amount of annual waste production is expected to exceed 3.5 billion tons per year.
Even if we start treating all the waste generated in the world today, we are in a wild rush to repair past damages from centuries of neglect.
This week we will participate in the HealthIL Medical Innovation Conference and present our solution for green medical waste treatment in hospitals around the world. The unique process offered by AST makes it possible to extract hydrogen and energy from medical waste in an efficient process and with zero pollutant emissions.
