Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on waste generation: Focus on plastic, food, and medical wastes in South Korea

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic may have considerably increased household and medical waste generation. However, waste generation patterns are not consistent and may vary globally. Therefore, using data (2018–2021) from 25 autonomous local governments under the Seoul Metropolitan Government, this study investigated whether plastic, food, and medical waste generation increased in South Korea during the pandemic. Descriptive statistics, spatial distribution patterns, and cluster analyses were used to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the jurisdictions. Results revealed that the fluctuations in plastic, food, and medical wastes generation had little impact on the waste management system in Seoul. Patterns varied little compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. This study raises the possibility that, while it may appear that there were waste management issues and waste accumulation during COVID-19, there is much variation in the results at the jurisdictional level. This showed that not all regions experienced problems in waste management during the pandemic.

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Most cited references 17

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Minimising the present and future plastic waste, energy and environmental footprints related to COVID-19

Jiří Klemeš, Yee Van Fan, Raymond R. Tan … (2020)

The COVID-19 pandemic has had growing environmental consequences related to plastic use and follow-up waste, but more urgent health issues have far overshadowed the potential impacts. This paper gives a prospective outlook on how the disruption caused by COVID-19 can act as a catalyst for short-term and long-term changes in plastic waste management practices throughout the world. The impact of the pandemic and epidemic following through the life cycles of various plastic products, particularly those needed for personal protection and healthcare, is assessed. The energy and environmental footprints of these product systems have increased rapidly in response to the surge in the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide, while critical hazardous waste management issues are emerging due to the need to ensure destruction of residual pathogens in household and medical waste. The concept of Plastic Waste Footprint (PWF) is proposed to capture the environmental footprint of a plastic product throughout its entire life cycle. Emerging challenges in waste management during and after the pandemic are discussed from the perspective of novel research and environmental policies. The sudden shift in waste composition and quantity highlights the need for a dynamically reponsive waste management system. Six future research directions are suggested to mitigate the potential impacts of the pandemic on waste management systems.

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Challenges, opportunities, and innovations for effective solid waste management during and post COVID - 19 pandemic

Hari Bhakta Sharma, Kumar Raja Vanapalli, VR Cheela … (2020)

Highlights 11• Changes in the composition of waste generated during COVID-19 presents considerable new challenges. 11• Ensuring safe waste management practices should be a part of emergency response services during COVID-19 crisis 11• Temporary relaxation on use of single-use plastic during COVID-19 crises could impact consumer's behaviour. 11• Shift to automated waste treatment systems will reduce the risk of transmission. 11• Building localized robust supply chains could help fight possible future pandemics.

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Plastics in the time of COVID-19 pandemic: Protector or polluter?

Neha Parashar, Subrata Hait (2020)

The COVID-19 pandemic has reemphasized the indispensable role of plastics in our daily life. Plastics in terms of personal protective equipment (PPEs) and other single-use medical equipment along with packaging solutions owing to their inherent properties have emerged as a life-savior for protecting the health and safety of the frontline health workers and the common citizens during the pandemic. However, plastics have been deemed as evil polluter due to their indiscriminate littering and mismanagement amid increased plastic usage and waste generation during this unprecedented crisis. This article reviews and assesses to dwell upon whether plastics in the time of pandemic are acting as protector of the public health or polluter of the environment. Considering the utilities and limitations of plastic along with its management or mismanagement, and the fate, an equitable appraisal suggests that the consumers' irresponsible behavior, and attitude and poor awareness, and the stress on waste management infrastructure in terms of collection, operation, and financial constraints as the major drivers, leading to mismanagement, turn plastic into an evil polluter of the environment. Plastic can be a protector if managed properly and complemented by the circular economy strategies in terms of reduction, recycle and recovery, and thereby preventing leakage into the environment. To safeguard the supply chain of PPEs, several decontamination techniques have been adopted worldwide ensuring their effective reprocessing to prioritize the circular economy within the system. Policy guidelines encouraging to adopt safer practices and sustainable technical solutions along with consumers' education for awareness creation are the need of the hour for preventing plastic to turn from protector with high utility to polluter.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Seejeen Park

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Heliyon

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Heliyon

Title: Heliyon

Publisher: Elsevier

ISSN (Electronic): 2405-8440

Publication date PMC-release: 02 August 2023

Publication date Collection: August 2023

Publication date (Electronic): 02 August 2023

Volume: 9

Issue: 8

Electronic Location Identifier: e18881

Affiliations

[1]Public Administration Department, KwangWoon University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Article

Publisher Item ID: S2405-8440(23)06089-9 Publisher ID: e18881

DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18881

PMC ID: 10428051

PubMed ID: 37593634

SO-VID: 6a6de7e8-506c-4d20-b293-e61a62b46d84

License:

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

History

Date received : 26 June 2023

Date revision received : 31 July 2023

Date accepted : 1 August 2023

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