Photo Release

Disposing bio-medical wastes: Sen. Francis “Tol” Tolentino, in a virtual hearing on the proposed P25.3 billion budget of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and its attached agencies Thursday, October 21, 2021, asks DENR officials how syringes, needles and bottles used in the government’s vaccination program are disposed of. The officials replied that some of the wastes were treated on site using chemicals while others were brought to treatment facilities where they were placed on a special cell on sanitary landfills. But Tolentino debunked the reply of the DENR officials, pointing out that he has yet to encounter a facility that would treat all of the three items of bio-medical wastes at the same time. “If we will reach herd immunity of 70 million Filipinos vaccinated, we will need 140 million needles. If we will add another booster, that would total to 210 million needles, some of which would be infected. Perhaps, we can have a discussion on the disposal of these wastes and the corresponding budget before the plenary,” Tolentino said. (Screen grab/Senate PRIB)