Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha says he is worried over the rising amount of contaminated waste in Bangkok, averaging around 100,000kg per day.
A large amount of that is Covid-related medical waste, deputy government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul said on Thursday.
The Covid-19 outbreak has led to a rise in demand for medical products resulting in an increase in used surgical masks, tissue paper and antigen test kits being discarded.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said on Tuesday its workers had dealt with 125,072kg of contaminated waste. Of that amount, 63,958kg was Covid-19-related waste while general waste made up the rest.
The amount of Covid-19-related waste prompted Gen Prayut to instruct authorities to strictly comply with infectious waste disposal measures.
Gen Prayut also stressed the need to educate residents on how to properly separate infectious waste.
Ms Traisuree said the government suggested people put used face masks in a plastic bag and seal it firmly, before dumping it in an orange-coloured rubbish bin.
The government also suggested labelling the bag as infectious waste.
For antigen test kits, Ms Traisuree suggested people place them in a red double plastic bag and sealing it firmly.
