Impacts of COVID-19 Outbreak on the Municipal Solid Waste Management: Now and beyond the Pandemic
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Roy P
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8525346 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:During coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the exponential increase in clinical waste (CW) generation has caused immense burden to CW treatment facilities. Co-incineration of CW in municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) is an emergency treatment method. A material flow model was developed to estimate the change in feedstock characteristics and resulting acid gas emission under different CW co-incineration ratios. The ash contents and lower heating values of the feedstocks, as well as HCl concentrations in flue gas showed an upward trend. Subsequently, 72 incineration residue samples were collected from a MSWI performing co-incineration (CW ratio <10 wt%) in Wuhan city, China, followed by 20 incineration residues samples from waste that were not co-incineration. The results showed that the contents of major elements and non-volatile heavy metals in the air pollution control residues increased during co-incineration but were within the reported ranges, whereas those in the bottom ashes revealed no significant changes. The impact of CW co-incineration at a ratio <10 wt% on the distribution of elements in the incineration residues was not significant. However, increase in alkali metals and HCl in flue gas may cause potential boiler corrosion. These results provide valuable insights into pollution control in MSWI during pandemic.
| S-EPMC8440058 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The World Health Organization has recently declared South America the new epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, as Brazil has become one of the most affected countries. Besides public health and economic impacts, social isolation has also caused indirect environmental effects. The aim of this study was to assess environmental impacts caused by shifts on solid waste production and management due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. We have analyzed data from 30 cities, representing a population of more than 53.8 million people (25.4% of the Brazilian population). Unexpectedly, solid waste production in the main cities in Brazil has decreased during the social isolation period, possibly because of reduced activity in commercial areas. The latest data on solid waste in Brazil have revealed that more than 35% of medical waste has not been treated properly. Furthermore, improper disposal of facemasks has been reported in several cities and may increase the risk for COVID-19 spread. The suspension of recycling programs has hindered natural resources from being saved, with emphasis on 24,076 MWh of electric power and 185,929 m3 of potable water - respectively enough to supply 152,475 households and 40,010 people, over a month. Furthermore, total sale price for recyclable materials during the suspension of recycling programs reaches more than 781 thousand dollars, being these materials disposed in landfills - demanding an extra volume of 19,000 m3 - reducing landfill lifespan, and hence causing a double loss: economic and environmental.
| S-EPMC7526525 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The literature on municipal solid waste in relation to COVID-19 is scarce. Based on the experience of Italy, the present article contributes to the strategies aimed at preventing a second virus outbreak. In fact, the mismanagement of municipal solid waste could undermine the strategies during the ease of the lockdown. During the SARS-COV-2 outbreak in Italy, there was a general decrease in the selective collection rate (-15% in one municipality with a well-developed door-to-door collection system). Delays in the publication of guidelines on waste management impacted on the safety of the operators collecting potentially infected waste. Contrarily to expectations, single-use masks and gloves do not have significant impact on waste management, accounting for <1% of the residual municipal solid waste collected annually. However, the dispersion of abandoned masks and gloves outside indoor environments is creating environmental problems. Recommendations on waste management and the protection of waste operators are discussed. Finally, guidelines on the most appropriate waste treatment are presented and analyzed. The results presented in this article show that the MSW management sector has found useful solutions to tackle COVID-19; however, these solutions are not being shared sufficiently. The case study analyzed in the present work could help define strategies for preventing or controlling similar future epidemics or pandemic episodes.
| S-EPMC7374137 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Financing municipal solid waste (MSW) services is one of the key challenges faced by cities in developing countries. This study used plastic waste, a constituent of MSW, to explore the possibility of generating revenue for financing MSW management in the municipalities of Nepal. The results of this study suggest that plastic material recovery could generate revenue, which is equivalent to 1.38 times of the plastic-waste-related management cost when collection efficiency reaches 66.7%. An increase in 1% of recovery rate and collection efficiency could cover an additional 4.64% and 2.06% of the costs of managing plastic waste, respectively. In addition, an increase in tax on imported plastic materials could also motivate recovery of plastic waste for recycle and reuse. An additional 1% tax on plastic imports would be sufficient to cover plastic-related waste management when plastic waste recovery and collection efficiency rates are low. This plastic recovery- revenue exercise could be expanded to other materials such as paper and metal to fully understand the possibility of sustainable financing of MSW management and reducing environmental harm in developing countries like Nepal.
| S-EPMC7440930 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Municipal solid waste (MSW) can pose a threat to public health if it is not safely managed. Despite prior research, uncertainties remain and refurbished evidence is needed along with new approaches. We conducted a systematic review of recently published literature to update and expand the epidemiological evidence on the association between MSW management practices and resident populations' health risks. Studies published from January 2005 to January 2020 were searched and reviewed following PRISMA guidelines. Eligible MSW treatment or disposal sites were defined as landfills, dumpsites, incinerators, waste open burning, transfer stations, recycling sites, composting plants, and anaerobic digesters. Occupational risks were not assessed. Health effects investigated included mortality, adverse birth and neonatal outcomes, cancer, respiratory conditions, gastroenteritis, vector-borne diseases, mental health conditions, and cardiovascular diseases. Studies reporting on human biomonitoring for exposure were eligible as well. Twenty-nine studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria of our protocol, assessing health effects only associated with proximity to landfills, incinerators, and dumpsites/open burning sites. There was some evidence of an increased risk of adverse birth and neonatal outcomes for residents near each type of MSW site. There was also some evidence of an increased risk of mortality, respiratory diseases, and negative mental health effects associated with residing near landfills. Additionally, there was some evidence of increased risk of mortality associated with residing near incinerators. However, in many cases, the evidence was inadequate to establish a strong relationship between a specific exposure and outcomes, and the studies rarely assessed new generation technologies. Evidence gaps remain, and recommendations for future research are discussed.
| S-EPMC8072713 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The 2020 coronavirus pandemic has involved a series of political and social measures that have been adapted to the spread of the disease. Apart from the severe effects on health sector, the most effects of the pandemic have been felt in households and day-to-day life. Consequently, COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the generation of not only medical and health care waste but also of municipal solid waste production and composition. In this context, this work studied the implications of COVID-19 for municipal solid waste generation in Granada, Spain. Granada is a city where the economy is based mainly on the services sector, tourism and the University. Therefore, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the city and it can be analyzed through the municipal solid waste generation. For the study of the incidence of COVID-19 in the generation of waste a period that goes from March 2019 to February 2021 has been chosen. The results show that, in the global calculation, a decrease in the generation of waste in the city is observed in this last year, reaching − 13.8%. Regarding the organic-rest fraction, the decrease in the COVID year represents − 11.7%. However, bulky waste has shown an increase in the COVID year which may be related to higher home furnishings renovation rates than in other years. Finally, glass is the waste flow that best indicates the effect of COVID in the service sector. In leisure areas, a significant reduction in the collection of glass is observed (− 45%). Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10163-023-01671-2.
| S-EPMC10156574 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The transmission route of COVID-19 through municipal solid waste (MSW) has been confirmed and receives increasing attention. Potentially viral municipal solid waste (PVMSW) refers to the domestic waste generated by risky areas and epidemic-related populations under a major epidemic in their daily lives or in activities that provide services for their daily lives. For its potential infectivity, PVMSW should be properly collected and transported. This study aimed to standardize the collection and transportation of PVMSW and proposed specific construction schemes of PVMSW collection and transportation systems for three situations which were city-wide lockdown status, medium and high-risk area, and home quarantine separately. In the cases of city-wide lockdown status and home quarantine, PVMSW collection and transportation systems were constructed qualitatively with the examples of Wuhan and Shanghai respectively, and in the case of medium and high-risk area, the systems were constructed quantitatively through the development of a waste collection and transportation costs model. To reduce the risks of virus transmission during the collection and transportation process, the collection and transportation links should be minimized. For the disposal of PVMSW, medical waste treatment facilities and MSW incineration plants should be prioritized. Furthermore, the results showed that the total number of people and the transfer capacity of MSW transfer facility were the two main influencing factors for the selection of PVMSW collection and transportation systems in medium and high-risk area. This article could help manage MSW for preventing virus transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic or similar future epidemics.
| S-EPMC9381939 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Municipal solid waste and leachate Raw sequence reads
| PRJNA991727 | ENA
Project description:Landfills are the final repository for most of the discarded material from human society and its "built environments." Microorganisms subsequently degrade this discarded material in the landfill, releasing gases (largely CH4 and CO2) and a complex mixture of soluble chemical compounds in leachate. Characterization of "landfill microbiomes" and their comparison across several landfills should allow the identification of environmental or operational properties that influence the composition of these microbiomes and potentially their biodegradation capabilities. To this end, the composition of landfill microbiomes was characterized as part of an ongoing USGS national survey studying the chemical composition of leachates from 19 non-hazardous landfills across 16 states in the continental U.S. The landfills varied in parameters such as size, waste composition, management strategy, geography, and climate zone. The diversity and composition of bacterial and archaeal populations in leachate samples were characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, and compared against a variety of physical and chemical parameters in an attempt to identify their impact on selection. Members of the Epsilonproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Clostridia, and candidate division OP3 were the most abundant. The distribution of the observed phylogenetic diversity could best be explained by a combination of variables and was correlated most strongly with the concentrations of chloride and barium, rate of evapotranspiration, age of waste, and the number of detected household chemicals. This study illustrates how leachate microbiomes are distinct from those of other natural or built environments, and sheds light on the major selective forces responsible for this microbial diversity.
| S-EPMC4837139 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Environmental assessment of municipal solid waste (MSW) management scenarios would help to select eco-friendly scenarios. In this study, the inventory data in support of life cycle assessment of different MSW are presented. The scenarios were defined as: anaerobic digestion (AD, Sc-0), landfilling combined with composting (Sc-1), incineration (Sc-2), incineration combined with composting (Sc-3), and AD combined with incineration (Sc-4). The current article contains flowcharts of the different scenarios. Additionally, six supplementary files including inventory data on the different scenarios, data on the different damage assessment categories, normalization, and single scores are presented (Supplementary files 1-6). The analysis of the different scenarios revealed that the most eco-friendly scenario to be implemented in the future would be the combination of AD and incineration (Sc-4).
| S-EPMC4510138 | biostudies-literature