Dampak Limbah Masker Bekas Pakai (Medis dan Non Medis) Terhadap Lingkungan dan Kesehatan Masyarakat di Kota Banda Aceh

Abstract

The new Corona Virus (COVID-19) is spreading rapidly throughout the world, in December 2019 including in Indonesia. COVID-19 is a variant of SARS or commonly called (SARS-Cov-2). Like other SARS variants, namely MERS, COVID-19 also attacks the human respiratory system (Lai et al, 2020). Masks are a primary need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wearing a mask is an effort to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. One type of mask that is used by the community is a disposable mask. The large number of masks has created a new problem, namely an increase in the number of disposable masks waste. The effect of very strict health protocols, there are concerns that the mask waste generated by this pandemic can attack aquatic ecosystems (Sampol, 2020). This research was conducted with a qualitative approach in the form of counseling using in-depth and structured interviews as well as observation, the research was conducted in March – August 2022 in the selection of locations in the Banda Aceh City Region with a population (respondents) of 67 people. The results of the research obtained are the knowledge, attitudes and actions that should be taken by the community based on in-depth interviews about the management of used mask waste both medical and non-medical is good enough for the community, who use masks outside the home by 91% while those who do not wear masks are 9%. However, the availability of facilities for sorting, transporting and collecting facilities is still not sufficient for the criteria for good waste management for public health.