Covid waste overburdens common incineration facility

On a daily basis, the incineration facility at Kailash crematorium deals with minimum 2,200 kg of Covid-19 waste, which mainly consists of PPE. In addition to the solid waste generated at quarantine centres, its capacity has gone down by 40 per cent.

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The incinerator is designed to treat biomedical waste and, hence, its efficiency reduced when the load increased due to Covid-19 waste. (Representational Image)

The disposal of a mix of routine solid waste from quarantine centres in the city and the Covid-19 waste, such as personal protection equipment (PPE), gloves and masks, have put a massive strain on the incinerator at Kailash crematorium to an extent that, on some days, routine biomedical waste generated in hospitals is sent to other incineration facilities in Baramati and Satara.

On a daily basis, the incineration facility at Kailash crematorium deals with minimum 2,200 kg of Covid-19 waste, which mainly consists of PPE. In addition to the solid waste generated at quarantine centres, its capacity has gone down by 40 per cent.

At present, there are 956 nursing homes, 19 blood banks, 461 pathology laboratories, 4,260 dispensaries, 62 Covid care centres and 32 other healthcare establishments in Pune, which are utilising the services to dispose of biomedical waste. In Pimpri-Chinchwad, such waste is collected from six blood banks, 235 labs, 473 nursing homes, 1,756 dispensaries and 14 Covid care centres.

Sunil Dandawate, Director of PASSCO Environmental Solutions, authorised by the PMC and the PCMC to run the common biomedical waste treatment facility, said the facility at Moshi in Pimpri-Chinchwad was adequate, but in Pune, it was overloaded and excess biomedical waste was being sent to Baramati for proper disposal. According to Dandawate, the incinerator’s daily capacity of treatment and disposal is 4,000 kg of biomedical waste. Another 1,200 kg of the waste could be autoclaved.

Before the coronavirus outbreak, 5,000 to 6,000 kg of biomedical waste was treated at the plant. However, the regular biomedical waste has reduced by half as elective surgeries and other major medical procedures were on hold. The incinerator is designed to treat biomedical waste and, hence, its efficiency reduced when the load increased due to Covid-19 waste.

With hostels, marriage halls and lodges being used as quarantine centres, there was an additional generation of contaminated solid waste leading to an overload at the common incineration facility at Kailash crematorium, said Nitin Shinde, Sub-Regional Officer at Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (Pune),.

Shinde added that there were 30 such facilities in the state and Pune operators had been directed to send a proposal on their requirements to upgrade the incineration facility.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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