{"id":29074,"date":"2025-03-19T09:43:42","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T09:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecosteryl.com\/?p=29074"},"modified":"2025-03-19T09:43:42","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T09:43:42","slug":"five-years-ago-covid-19-disrupted-our-world-what-have-we-learned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecosteryl.com\/en\/five-years-ago-covid-19-disrupted-our-world-what-have-we-learned\/","title":{"rendered":"Five years ago, COVID-19 disrupted our world… What have we learned?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five years ago, an invisible threat disrupted our world, shedding light on many aspects.<\/strong><\/span>
\nBeyond buying toilet paper in large quantities, cleaning our groceries with brushes, and checking on what the neighbor was doing, we mainly ensured not to get infected and to care for those who were. The essential returned to the center of our concerns: our health. And, of course, the crucial role of healthcare workers and our healthcare system. Additionally, the management of our medical waste, which was itself infected.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented increase in healthcare-related waste: personal protective equipment (PPE), tests, syringes… A true surge of biomedical waste that strained waste management systems worldwide. Remember, we were all masked, and masks were expensive. According to the WHO, between March 2020 and November 2021, over 87,000 tons of PPE were distributed, generating a major environmental challenge. So, what do we take away from this crisis today?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How did Ecosteryl experience COVID-19?<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"\"While everyone stayed home to avoid contamination, Ecosteryl’s teams were on the front lines. Business opportunity? Some might say so, even though a machine cannot be delivered to a new client in two weeks when, moreover, the whole world is at a standstill. The client needs authorizations, a location, a sustainable business, funds… While hand sanitizer or masks were quick business opportunities, starting a medical waste treatment center is another matter. Building, treatment machine, bin washer, trucks, etc.: such an investment amounts to hundreds of thousands of euros.<\/p>\n

Those who were put to the test were our existing clients, those who were already operating. Some had purchased a machine that we had to install remotely via video call; others had been equipped recently, perhaps those with foresight, and the machine was immediately used at 100% capacity; others hesitated on a new purchase and regretted their hesitation. All had teams working non-stop. Kudos to all these behind-the-scenes operators who were in contact with what no one wanted to touch: infected medical waste.<\/p>\n

In the end, it was mainly governments and international organizations that had to face an unprecedented crisis and find solutions.<\/p>\n

Ecosteryl, like other companies active in medical waste disinfection, had much more interaction with the WHO<\/a>, UNICEF<\/a>, UNDP<\/a>, the World Bank,<\/a> etc., which had budgets to intervene urgently in territories facing large-scale health risks. Ecosteryl also assisted the Walloon Government with a mask disinfection solution, the M-steryl. In less than a month, a machine was available on the market and tested. A machine that did not succeed once COVID<\/span> ended but once again proved the dry heat disinfection technique and allowed Ecosteryl to collaborate with research institutes and demonstrate its proactivity in seeking solutions.<\/p>\n

In one month, in March 2020, medical waste received unprecedented marketing promotion. What changed was felt more the following year, in the awareness of the impact and importance of this waste in the funds available to hospitals, for example. Hospitals that no longer wanted to experience overflowing bins. Service providers who could no longer process their waste.<\/p>\n

An example is the Valenciennes hospital in France<\/a>, which explains it well in this video.<\/p>\n