The context in which this project is developed is the national context of the management and handling of hospital solid waste within the global health emergency caused by Covid-19. These wastes are those generated in the processes of care in health institutions. They are classified into three types of waste: biocontaminated, special and common waste. The first of these is the one to which I will focus my design contribution.

In my research I found that the handling of this waste generated a great deal of stress for the cleaning staff. The possible spread of disease, the increased volume of waste and an atmosphere of fear and stress among all hospital staff added to the constant feeling of being forgotten and undervalued amongst the cleaning staff in Lima's institutions. 
All of this made these staff the most affected on a psychological and emotional level. 

The aim of the project was to provide tools to increase the protection of these personnel without the need for new typologies of personal protective equipment. The focus was therefore on the direct handling of waste containers and the first handling of biocontaminated waste bags.

For this purpose, videos and interviews were used to investigate how the bags were manually sealed and how this activity could be carried out using the same container. 

This is how the proposal was born. A container for biocontaminated waste that, by changing the geometry of its shape and with the help of a rotating ring, manages to close the bag so that the cleaning staff can then seal it completely without the need to see inside.

This small step is a great relief for the cleaning staff. It avoids the visual burden of waste and thus provides them with an additional shield against the danger of infection. 

A positive aspect of the design of this container is that it can be used for any type of solid waste.