The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) will donate an infectious waste treatment machine worth PHP20 million to Ilocos Norte, boosting the province’s efforts for a clean, green, and safer environment.

Dr. Arlene Ragasa, officer-in-charge of the Governor Roque B. Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital, said in a media interview Monday that it’s about time for Ilocos Norte to have its own medical infectious solid waste management and treatment facility.

“The treatment of biomedical waste is one of the big expenditures of the provincial government amounting to a million a year,” she said.

Ragasa explained that people handling the infectious waste at the hospital will benefit from the equipment since they no longer need to worry about contamination.

Biomedical waste generated at the provincial hospital is dumped in a storage room and hauled at least twice a year by a private company for treatment in Capas, Tarlac, she said.

Ragasa said around 50 kilos of infectious waste are generated per day in the hospital.

The machine grinds the solid waste into small particles through rotating blades and microwave heat technology machine.

It then sterilizes the infectious wastes, like syringes or needles, used test strips, textiles waste, microtubes, paper waste, diapers, catheters, separating funnel, sampling needles, and test specimens, to become general or non-hazardous waste. (PNA)