The World Health Organisation (WHO) has scrutinised South Africa’s capacity to safely dispose of medical waste.

Earlier this month, the WHO released a worrying report, cautioning that thousands of tonnes of medical waste has arisen from the Covid-19 pandemic, heavily straining waste management systems globally.

The health body has labelled it as a ticking time bomb. The WHO notes that this threatens both human and environmental health, while exposing the need to improve waste management practices.

In South Africa, illegal dumping has been on the rise, with the country disposing of 10 to 20 million rands worth of waste each month.