Localised waste disposal in sharp contrast to strict norms laid by CPCB Medical as well as sanitary workers in Hyderabad are being put in harm’s way as COVID biological waste is being burnt, tossed in garbage and mixed with regular trash. “We burn the PPE kits everyday. They are used by the staff who do COVID-19 tests. We collect them, pack them in a box and burn them,” said a health worker at the Golconda Area Hospital. Four cardboard boxes filled with PPEs were still burning when this reporter visited the site. Behind the COVID-19 testing centre in the hospital, the biological waste of test kits and discarded gloves are also burnt on a daily basis.