The power of waste
22 June 2020
The power of the waste sector throughout the COVID-19 pandemic
By Otto de Bont, CEO Renewi
The pandemic has tested the capacity of our whole sector rigorously. In the first four months of 2020, the global medical waste processing industry processed three to six times more materials than before.
On the back of the virulent spread of coronavirus across Europe, Governments acted rapidly to stop the spread of the deadly virus by closing down all but essential operations and putting citizens into lockdown. Key sectors that were expected to continue operating included government, public health and social care, public safety, public services, waste, utilities and education/child-care and transport for key workers.