ABSTRACT
Malaysia, wearing face mask during Covid-19 outbreak were mandatory. This action has caused significant surge in face mask production which deem to affect environment and human health. This paper evaluates and compared the environmental impacts, in a life cycle assessments perspective between disposable surgical face mask and reusable cloth face mask using cradle-to-grave approaches according to ISO 14040. The environmental impacts were assessed based on nine midpoint impact categories which are ozone depletion, greenhouse gases, acidification, eutrophication, smog formation, human health cancer and non-cancer, human health particulates and ecotoxicity. The functional unit for both types of face masks is a person wearing face mask as protection every day for one year (365 masks for disposable surgical face mask and 3 masks for reusable cloth face mask). The LCA tool used was OpenLCA software with Ecoinvent consequential 3.7.1 version database and TRACI 2.1 for impact method assessment. The study showed that reusable cloth face mask had the lowest impact compared to disposable surgical face mask across the assessed midpoint impact categories. This study suggested incineration as the best disposal method for the End-of-Life (EoL) of both face masks. Sensitive analysis also performed by manipulating the amount of face mask used per individual and it was found that the amount of mask used had significant effects to the environmental performance. © 2023 Institute of Physics Publishing. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
This research examines the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic on the production, use, and disposal of single-use plastics. This research explores the intricate relationships between the impacts of COVD-19 on single-use plastic production, usage, and waste management with a focus on the mediating effects of the pandemic related to model parameters and correlations to develop a trustworthy approach. The report examines first the increasing evidence regarding the pandemic's influence on various users and industries, and then the consequences for waste management and the environment. The research then examined the relationships and modelling framework correlations between the variables utilised to estimate the influence of COVID-induced changes in production, consumption, and management on single-use plastics. The study variables captured the influence of production, usage, and disposal on the environment. The study's parameters are equally linked to types of usage, have a pronominal effect, and disposal plays a vital role in the environmental impact, which makes them extremely dynamic for parameters in this study. Single-use plastic aggregation in the environment is predicted to be a dominant mechanism by disposal behaviour. © 2023 Institute of Physics Publishing. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Food waste is a type of solid waste that is heavily influenced by consumers. The composition (%) and the total weight generation (kg) of food waste were determined during the Covid-19 outbreak. The data was obtained by direct weighing of the food waste collected where it was generated throughout the day. Findings have shown that 63.3% of the composition of uncooked food waste types identified is generated by internal organs, vegetables, fruits, and eggshells, while 36.7% of the identified composition of cooked food waste types is generated by rice and noodles, bones, vegetables, fruits, and others in Desa Pandan. During six days of collection, the total food waste generated by 30 households, 10 restaurants, and 3 schools was 146.5 kg (0.20 kg/capita/day), 231.7 kg (0.026 kg/capita/day), and 155.4 kg (0.010 kg/capita/day) respectively. A food waste awareness survey was conducted online with 100 respondents using Google Forms. Findings show that the Covid-19 pandemic did influence people's attitudes and practices regarding food purchase, management, and consumption habits, all of which have a substantial impact on reducing food waste generation at the household level. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.