Amid the spread of COVID-19, Japan’s Ministry of the Environment issued two notices requiring that all self-government bodies, waste disposal organizations and medical associations should properly deal with infectious waste related to COVID-19 in accordance with the Manual for Infectious Waste Disposal Based on the Waste Disposal Act and the Waste Disposal Measures against the H1N1 Flu formulated by the ministry in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The Ministry required that collected infectious waste must directly be transported to waste incineration facilities for disposal in ways such as incineration, melting and sterilization. Some medical waste containing special viruses must be further sterilized with effective drugs or through heating.
