Hongqiao airport strengthens waste management to curb coronavirus
A Hongqiao airport worker disinfects a vehicle used to transport waste from flights with suspected COVID-19 cases.
Hongqiao International Airport released strict garbage-sorting and treatment procedures on Thursday to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The airport has handled over 30 tons of garbage from flights which have carried suspected COVID-19 patients and from quarantined airline crews at designated hotels nearby as of mid-April. They included over 11 tons of coronavirus prevention gear, such as facial masks and hazmat suits.
Forty-two specialized garbage bins for facial masks have been placed across the two terminal buildings, parking garages and parking areas for taxis at the Hongqiao airport.
Cleaners oversee the disposal of masks and separate them from other waste. They were then transported to specialized garbage stations at both T1 and T2 terminals.
After disinfection, the disposed masks are sealed, delivered to another site and incinerated. Used hazmat suits are transported to Laogang in the Pudong New Area, the city’s largest garbage disposal facility, for incineration.
A specialized garbage bin (right) for facial masks at the T2 terminal of the Hongqiao airport.
Pilots and flight attendants have to undergo 14-day quarantine at designated hotels near the Hongqiao airport after operating flights that have carried suspected COVID-19 patients.
Their daily garbage is also being handled by the Hongqiao airport according to strict treatment measures, the airport authority said.
The airport sends transport vehicles to the quarantine hotels every day to collect the garbage from airline crews. The daily waste is then sealed and delivered to the specialized garbage stations at the airport.
All garbage bins and transport vehicles are thoroughly disinfected after use. Cleaners are required to wear protective gear and receive temperature checks every day.
At the Pudong airport, the amount of garbage requiring such treatment has increased to around 6 tons per day, up from about 1.2 tons previously, with the increasing number of imported COVID-19 cases on international flights since March, according to the Shanghai Airport Authority.
A Hongqiao airport worker disinfects a vehicle transporting waste from flights with suspected COVID-19 cases.
Ultraviolet disinfection is applied to waste from flights with suspected COVID-19 cases.
Hongqiao airport staff disinfect garbage from flights with suspected COVID-19 cases.
Hongqiao airport staff deliver garbage from flights with suspected COVID-19 cases.
