Pandemic Covid-19 has globally
impacted several sectors including environment. An increased number of
confirmed patients, a-symptomatic carriers, the healthy protocol enforcement,
and semi-lockdown are correspondingly proportional with the increased of domestic
and infectious waste in many regions in Indonesia. Domestic Covid-19-related
waste as a hazardous and poisonous waste such as single-use masks, disinfectant
and hand sanitizer containers become an emerging concern because of the
potential transmission of corona virus through these stuffs that may create a
new cluster of the virus spread. 

Division of Environment of
ALPHA-I organized a Smart Sharing Webinar, session-3 on August 22, 2020
entitled “Domestic and Infectious Waste in the midst of Pandemic Covid-19; How
is it implemented in the regions?”

More than 100 participants from
all around Indonesia joined in this live webinar through Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook
from various professional backgrounds including health practitioners, civil
servants, sanitarians, professors, and students. Ira Ryski Wahyuni, S.T., M.T.
as the MC stated the webinar rules in the beginning of the event. Webinar was
officially opened by Yossa A.P. Nainggolan, MPP., chairman of ALPHA-I. He briefly
explained what ALPHA-I was about then expected the webinar would bring a new
knowledge on domestic and infectious waste management for the participants.

This event has brought four
speakers who were USAID scholarship alumnae with different expertise in
environment and health fields, as follows:

dr. Arifatul Khorida, M.P.H., a
hospital management expert and a medical doctor at Zainoel Abidin Hospital,
Banda Aceh who presented topic about situation, problems, and mitigation
efforts for infectious waste in Aceh Province, particularly the principle
compliance of waste management in the hospital.

Musmulyono Yusuf, S. Kep, Ns,
MHPA, a Health Policy and Administration expert and works as nurse manager at Universitas
Hasanuddin Hospital, Makassar who shared information about waste management practices
and procedure of infectious waste treatments in the hospital.

Alfian, S.Si., M.S., a Climate
Change and Policy expert and works as program and report analyst at the
Environment and Forestry Agency of Kendari City described the existing
situation and challenges in domestic and infectious waste in Kendari City as
well as future recommendations.

The fourth speaker was Dr.Eng.
Irwan Ridwan Rahim, ST.MT. a Solid Waste Management and a professor at
Environmental Engineering, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar closed the
presentation session of the webinar by presenting research innovation to
support Covid-19-related domestic and infectious waste management in Indonesia.
He emphasized on the paradigm and management aspects, types of technologies,
and management direction in addressing challenges of pandemic Covid-19.

The dynamics of this webinar
became interesting after moderator Wiesye V. Pelupessy, ST., M.P.S., an ASN at
the Ambon City Public Works Service opened a question and answer session.
Challenges and obstacles which were faced in the regions were dominated by
management facilities, community awareness, and Standard Operating Procedure
(SOP) compliance of waste management.

Referring to the speakers’
presentation and discussion in Q&A session, a couple of take home messages
from this webinars, as follows: (a) promoting on-site management, specifically
for infectious waste in Covid-19-referred hospitals or in hospitals which have
incinerator facility by complying to the SOP of infectious waste management,
(b) socialization in community level to increase the awareness of sorting of
Covid-19-related waste from households differs from common domestic waste, (c) procurement
of additional facilities, tools and equipment, and personnel for Covid-19-related
waste management, (d) potential collaboration among stakeholders in
transporting Covid-19-related waste, such as online transportation, and (e) supportive
local regulation and policy and feasibility study of infectious waste
management facility to accelerate Covid-19 countermeasure.

This two-hour Smart Sharing
session webinar was closed by Suparlan Lingga, MPH. as the Secretary General of
ALPHA-I. Several key points and recommendations from this webinar will be
followed to the Indonesian Covid-19 Countermeasure Unit Task which also
concerns on Covid-19-related waste management (Alfian)