A city-level medical waste disposal system will be set up to collect and deal with the medical garbage produced by local medical institutions. A public bid will be held to choose the project operator, an official from the Shanghai Environmental Protection Administration says.
The city produces about 20,000 tons of medical waste everyday. Currently, the garbage is sent to more than 120 medical waste incinerators in the city for high-temperature disinfections before disposal. But the smell and smoke released still pollutes the environment and effects residential areas nearby.
Work on the new system will start this year. The city government will hold a public bid to choose a company with advanced technology and management experience in medical waste disposal. More than 50 companies from home and abroad showed an intention to bid for the project, according to the Shanghai government website.
The medical waste disposal system is part of Shanghai's new three-year environmental protection project that mayor Han Zheng promised last week in his speech for International Environment Protection Day on TV. The project focuses on water quality, air quality, afforestation, garbage disposal, industrial area renovation and agriecological protection.
(eastday.com June 9, 2003)
