Abstract
COVID-19, declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, has caused governments to react swiftly with a variety of measures to quell the spread of the virus. This study investigates changes in waste disposal characteristics and the relationship between the mass of biomedical waste disposed and new COVID-19 tests performed in Regina, Canada. Results suggest that between May and September 2020, significant differences in the median amount of waste disposed exist. The amount of monthly waste disposed was slightly lower to about 450–550 tonnes/month. Monthly waste data variability, however, was significantly lower. Seasonal effects on total waste disposal is observed, but is less obvious than pre-COVID time. Furthermore, the distribution of different waste fractions varies, probably due to operational and industrial characteristics. A non-linear relationship exists between the number of COVID-19 tests performed and the mass of biomedical waste disposed, perhaps due to a lagged relationship between biomedical waste generation and disposal.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 49-54 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Waste Management |
| Volume | 122 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Mar 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords
- Canadian solid waste management
- COVID-19
- Data spread and skewness
- Municipal landfill management
- Treated biomedical waste
- Waste disposal behaviors
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Waste Management and Disposal
