What is the estimated amount of PPE waste generated from UN shipments?

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The UN system shipped approximately 87,000 tonnes of personal protective equipment (PPE) between March 2020 and November 2021, most of which is presumed to have become waste.

Between March 2020 and November 2021, the United Nations system procured and distributed approximately 87,000 tonnes, equivalent to 1.5 billion units, of personal protective equipment (PPE) to various countries. A significant portion of this distributed PPE is likely to have contributed to the global medical waste burden.
Scale of UN PPE Shipments

The World Health Organisation (WHO) report examined a specific subset of global PPE distribution, focusing on the 1.5 billion units or roughly 87,000 tonnes of PPE that were procured and dispatched via the UN system during the period of March 2020 to November 2021. This figure represents a fraction of the total worldwide PPE supplies.
Likelihood of Waste Generation

The majority of the PPE that was shipped through the UN system has likely been discarded, contributing to the substantial increase in medical waste generated during the Covid-19 pandemic. This situation has placed immense pressure on existing healthcare waste management systems.
Broader Waste Concerns

Beyond PPE, the pandemic has led to significant waste from other sources. For instance, over 140 million test kits shipped globally could generate approximately 2,600 tonnes of plastic waste and 731,000 litres of chemical waste. Additionally, the administration of the first eight billion Covid-19 vaccine doses worldwide has produced an estimated 144,000 tonnes of additional waste, including syringes and needles.

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What is the estimated amount of PPE waste generated from UN shipments?

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