Abstract
Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was classified as a designated infectious disease under the Infectious Disease Control Law by Cabinet Order on 1 February 2020. Juso Hospital in Osaka City became the first hospital in Japan to specialize in COVID-19. All wastes from medical practices, treatment, inspection, etc., have been treated as infectious wastes, the greater part of which has been personal protective equipment (PPE). Single-use goods are essential since none of the materials can be reused. Although volume reduction was attempted to a practical degree, PPE and single-use goods have drastically increased the amount of infectious wastes generated. Plastic containers that can be wiped and disinfected have been employed in order to avoid infection due to waste transfer from infectious zones to normal zones. No in-hospital infections have occurred at Juso Hospital and the hospital has partially resumed its normal medical services from 27 July 2020.
