China's capacity for disposing of medical waste has increased significantly since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said on Wednesday.

By the end of last year, annual national disposal capacity for medical waste was 2.15 million metric tons, up by 39 percent from 2019. 

The ratio of disposal capacity against the amount of medical waste generated is about 1.5 times on average, and can be raised to 1.9 if working hours are prolonged and backup infrastructure is put into use. 

Last year, China disposed of a total of 1.4 million metric tons of medical waste, it added.