Biomedical waste management during pandemics

For many years, proper biomedical waste (BMW) management in line with the rules was among the overlooked components of health care. Biomedical waste presents a series of environmental contamination. As a result, it must be treated using extreme caution and disposed of properly. There are a few gaps in the handling of biological generated waste, and the coronavirus epidemic has made it very hard. The virus's quick breakout resulted in a massive increase in the amount of biohazardous matter. The COVID-19 epidemic's devastation has altered global waste generation trends, needing special attention. Sudden variations in trash generation and volume need a dynamic response from authorities. This study highlights the problems that the collection and recycling business faces even after a pandemic, as well as the basic possibility to eliminate current framework faults. The study covers specific situations for handling medical waste, polymeric garbage, and recycling bins, which were all major causes of concerns all through this time period. We also go over successful stakeholder involvement and teamwork.The existence of illness sewage treatment in regular effluent created offers significant dangers and liabilities to hygiene workers. Small metal usage is predicted to recover as a result of rising hygiene concerns, particularly from items used for safety precautions and medication. The research further underlines the significance of creating localized, streamlined supply channels to deal with these kinds of situations in the case of unanticipated devastating catastrophes. Despite presenting unique solutions to existing recycling challenges, the paper also presents numerous crucial recommendations to regulators to enable them to cope with any potential outbreaks in a holistic way. © 2023 Author(s).

A cross-jurisdictional comparison on residential waste collection rates during earlier waves of COVID-19.

There is currently a lack of studies on residential waste collection during COVID-19 in North America. SARIMA models were developed to predict residential waste collection rates (RWCR) across four North American jurisdictions before and during the pandemic. Unlike waste disposal rates, RWCR is relatively less sensitive to the changes in COVID-19 regulatory policies and administrative measures, making RWCR more appropriate for cross-jurisdictional comparisons. It is hypothesized that the use of RWCR in forecasting models will help us to better understand the residential waste generation behaviors in North America. Both SARIMA models performed satisfactorily in predicting Regina's RWCR. The SARIMA DCV model's performance is noticeably better during COVID-19, with a 15.7% lower RMSE than that of the benchmark model (SARIMA BCV). The skewness of overprediction ratios was noticeably different between jurisdictions, and modeling errors were generally lower in less populated cities. Conflicting behavioral changes might have altered the residential waste generation characteristics and recycling behaviors differently across the jurisdictions. Overall, SARIMA DCV performed better in the Canadian jurisdiction than in U.S. jurisdictions, likely due to the model's bias on a less variable input dataset. The use of RWCR in forecasting models helps us to better understand the residential waste generation behaviors in North America and better prepare us for a future global pandemic.

"The rich will always be able to dispose of their waste": a view from the frontlines of municipal failure in Makhanda, South Africa.

A significant proportion of South African municipalities, who hold the mandate for providing solid waste management (SWM) services for millions of South Africans, appear to be on the brink of collapse. On the frontlines of municipal failure, the city of Makhanda, following two decades of poor governance and mismanagement, has found itself unable to fulfil its mandate, with the state retreating on SWM service provision, and disruptions to waste management services becoming a daily reality. Drawing on embedded, qualitative fieldwork, this article examines how differently placed residents have experienced disruptions to SWM services. This work explores how residents of Makhanda's two halves: the affluent and predominantly white neighbourhoods in the west, and the poor, non-white townships in the east, have (or have not) adapted to manage and dispose of their own waste during periods of disruption. Findings suggest that disruptions to waste management service provision have been broadly experienced by residents. However, the consequences of interruptions to municipal collection have not been evenly borne, as more resourced, western residents have been more successful at managing their own waste disposal, while the residents of Makhanda's townships are less capable of coping, with affected communities coming to resemble a dumping ground, and residents having to adopt unsafe or environmentally harmful disposal practices. These findings are important because they shed light on the challenges of creating cleaner, more equal communities without healthy municipal participation in waste management services, while raising important considerations for a South Africa facing the possibility of widespread municipal collapse.

Socio-Demographic Depletion Due to COVID-19 Impact and Government Intervention: A Review in Bangladesh

COVID-19 known as coronavirus disease, has been dominating the headlines all over the world since about a year ago which is now almost under control. The World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled it a pandemic. Bangladesh is struggling with this virus with its scarce resources. Nearly two million people have been reported as confirmed cases of coronavirus disease in 185 countries worldwide in the five months after the virus first emerged in December 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic affected people directly or indirectly all over the world. There has been a slowdown in all sectors worldwide and most of the global population was placed under lockdown. The families of 43.9 percent of the students might live in poverty, and export revenues from RMG fell by 18.12% from the previous year. Households in Chittagong city corporation experienced the least decrease in average income (11.7%) while the households in Sylhet city corporation experienced the most reduction in average income (63.4%). This COVID-19 created a widespread global shock. The government of Bangladesh has declared several stimulus plans worth a combined total of about USD 11.90 billion for the agricultural sector to ensure the country's food and nutritional security, for doctors, nurses, and the homeless for social safety, and for business sectors including small and medium enterprises and cottage industries at the early age of pandemic. There were 23 COVID-19 stimulus packages total across the nation, with a total outlay of USD 1.23 billion which is 4.44% of GDP. Approximately USD 3,529 million for the service sector and the impacted industries, USD 589 million to cover workers' salaries/allowances, and those of staff working in industries focused on exports were allocated as a package to tackle the serious impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.Copyright © 2023, Science Publications. All rights reserved.

Solid Waste Management in Peru's Cities: A Clustering Approach for an Andean District

There is a great deficiency in the collection and disposal of solid waste, with a considerable amount disposed of in dumps instead of in landfills. In this sense, the objective of this research is to propose a solid waste mitigation plan through recovery in the District of Santa Rosa, Ayacucho. For this, a solid waste characterization plan was executed in eight days, and through ANOVA it was shown that there is a significant difference in means between business pairs except between a bakery and a hotel. Through clustering, zones A and B are highly correlated, reflecting that the amount of organic waste was greater than inorganic waste. In the organic waste valorization plan, the results through ANOVA indicate a significant difference for monthly and daily averages, and the clustering shows the different behavior of each month, drawing attention to August, concluding that the valorization pilot plan is viable due to the contribution of a large amount of organic solid waste to the valorization plant.

Factors Affecting the Potential of Solid Waste Management of Network Partners in the Epidemic Control Area for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Mae Sot, Thailand

This investigation examines the potential, and the factors affecting the potential of network partners to manage solid waste in the epidemic control area for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The study area was Mae Sot Municipality in Tak Province, Northern Thailand, which consists of twenty communities. This is an especially pressing study topic given the dearth of literature on solid waste management in Thailand during a pandemic. The sample group was purposively selected, and was composed of household representatives living within the coronavirus epidemic control area. Data was gathered using a quantitative research method. A questionnaire was presented to 400 household representatives. Data results led to the development of an equation to determine waste management potential: Logit(y) = 0.435 - 0.086(X1) - 0.203(X2) - 0.110(X3) + 0.086(X4) + 0.046(X5) - 0.056(X6) + 0.157(X7) + 0.132(X8) + 0.214(X9) - 0.212(X10) - 0.087(X11) + 0.022(X12). Factors affecting public participation in waste management of network partners in epidemic control areas can be written as a predictive equation: Logit(y) = -0.179 + 0.092(PAR1) + 0.177(PAR2) - 0.189(PAR3) + 0.008(PAR4). Potential factors affecting the waste management of network partners in epidemic control areas can be written as follows: Logit(y) = -0.724 + 0.220(POT1) + 0.045(POT2) - 0.234(POT3) + 0.185(POT4). Solid waste management models must be suitable for the context and current situation in the local community. This includes consideration of local participation and the impact on all stakeholders in the area. The key action is to minimize the amount of solid waste before it reaches the disposal stage by focusing on participation from all sectors. © 2022 Common Ground Research Networks. All rights reserved.

Biomedical Waste Management and Circular Economy Actions in the COVID-19 Pandemic Situation in Jaipur District, India

Circular economy is gaining popularity across the world, but its implementation in Jaipur District, as in other developing nations, is lacking. The Covid-19 epidemic has resulted in massive volumes of hazardous trash that require specific handling. The goal of this study was to evaluate CE and waste management efforts in Jaipur District, India during the Covid-19 epidemic. Two quarantine healthcare centers in Jaipur District were used as case studies, with data collected using quantitative and qualitative approaches and evaluated to establish the problems of hazardous waste management in Jaipur District. A total of 220 questionnaires were sent to the employees, with 216 (98.18%) of them being returned. There were 118 males (55%) and 98 women (45%) among the respondents, who worked in a variety of fields, including health workers (n = 108;50%), maintenance personnel (n = 62;28.7%), and cleaners/waste handlers (n = 46;21.29%). The majority of the participants (94.44%) said Covid-19 wastes should be separated, whereas 116 people (53.7%) thought managing personal protective equipment during a pandemic was reasonable. According to the findings, training and retraining of personnel on hazardous waste management at the examined healthcare institutions is critical to the implementation and enforcement of national policies for solid waste management. Rajasthan's government must dispose of biological waste in one step, straight out of town, rather than in two steps, first in Jhalana, Jaipur, and then in Jamdoli, Jaipur. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Risk Perception and Level of Perceived Work Stress among Sanitation Workers: A Cross Sectional Study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic increased the workload of municipal and garbage collectors, increasing their levels of exposure to health hazards. Hence, we aimed to assess the risk perception and level of perceived work stress among sanitation workers during of COVID 19 pandemic. Method(s): This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among domestic waste collectors and cleaners of Oulgaret Municipality, Puducherry, during January-February 2021. Convenient sampling was used. Workers engaged garbage collection, street sweeping, cleaning of drains and public toilets were included. Telephonic interviews were carried out using a structured questionnaire. Result(s): A total of 120 workers were interviewed. The mean (SD) age of the male participants (N= 36) was 45.4 (9.8) years;and 46.4(8.5) years for females (N=84). All the workers reported adherence to hand hygiene practices and wearing masks and gloves. 26.6% felt that public non-compliance to solid waste management rules was a major risk. The participants (24.1%) found the public to be abusive and fault finding and 20.8% of workers mentioned that the public were empathetic, cooperative, and generous. Almost one-third (32.5%) worked without holidays, and 21.6% reported the supply of PPE was irregular post lockdown. Although the Municipality arranged transport for the majority of the workers to commute to and from work during the lockdown, a small number (13.3%) had traveled to work on their own. 58.3% had anxiety with regards to contracting the infection, and 25.8% had a fear of spreading infection to family and children. Eagerness to learn more about the pandemic was expressed by 47.5%. Conclusion(s): Public non-compliance to solid waste management rules was perceived as a major risk, and more than half of the workers expressed anxiety during the Covid pandemic lockdown. Strengthening the Municipal workers' social security schemes to compensate and protect them in areas of high levels of exposure needs immediate attention.

The face behind the Covid-19 mask - A comprehensive review.

The threat of epidemic outbreaks like SARS-CoV-2 is growing owing to the exponential growth of the global population and the continual increase in human mobility. Personal protection against viral infections was enforced using ambient air filters, face masks, and other respiratory protective equipment. Available facemasks feature considerable variation in efficacy, materials usage and characteristic properties. Despite their widespread use and importance, face masks pose major potential threats due to the uncontrolled manufacture and disposal techniques. Improper solid waste management enables viral propagation and increases the volume of associated biomedical waste at an alarming rate. Polymers used in single-use face masks include a spectrum of chemical constituents: plasticisers and flame retardants leading to health-related issues over time. Despite ample research in this field, the efficacy of personal protective equipment and its impact post-disposal is yet to be explored satisfactorily. The following review assimilates information on the different forms of personal protective equipment currently in use. Proper waste management techniques pertaining to such special wastes have also been discussed. The study features a holistic overview of innovations made in face masks and their corresponding impact on human health and environment. Strategies with SDG3 and SDG12, outlining safe and proper disposal of solid waste, have also been discussed. Furthermore, employing the CFD paradigm, a 3D model of a face mask was created based on fluid flow during breathing techniques. Lastly, the review concludes with possible future advancements and promising research avenues in personal protective equipment.

Effective multipurpose sewage sludge and food waste reduction strategies: A focus on recent advances and future perspectives

Energy crisis and increasing rigorous management standards pose significant challenges for solid waste management worldwide. Several emerging diseases such as COVID-19 aggravated the already complex solid waste management crisis, especially sewage sludge and food waste streams, because of the increasingly large production year by year. As mature waste disposal technologies, landfills, incineration, composting, and some other methods are widespread for solid wastes management. This paper reviews recent advances in key sewage sludge disposal technologies. These include incineration, anaerobic digestion, and valuable products oriented-conversion. Food waste disposal technologies comprised of thermal treatment, fermentation, value-added product conversion, and composting have also been described. The hot topic and dominant research foci of each area are summarized, simultaneously compared with conventional technologies in terms of organic matter degradation or conversion performance, energy generation, and renewable resources production. Future perspectives of each technology that include issues not well understood and predicted challenges are discussed with a positive effect on the full-scale implementation of the discussed disposal methods. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd

Conceptual design and simulation study of an autonomous indoor medical waste collection robot

Solid waste management is one of the critical challenges seen everywhere, and the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has only worsened the problems in the safe disposal of infectious waste. This paper outlines a design for a mobile robot that will intelligently identify, grasp, and collect a group of medical waste items using a six-degree of freedom (DoF) arm, You Only Look Once (YOLO) neural network, and a grasping algorithm. Various designs are generated before running simulations on the selected virtual model using Robot Operating System (ROS) and Gazebo simulator. A lidar sensor is also used to map the robot's surroundings and navigate autonomously. The robot has good scope for waste collection in medical facilities, where it can help create a safer environment.

A Critical Review of the Impact of COVID-19 on Plastic and Food Waste

This research aims to show the positive and negative indirect effects of COVID-19 on municipal solid waste management systems, especially for plastic waste and food waste. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire waste management sector. As the pandemic spread and lockdowns were enforced in many countries, government and municipal waste operators had to quickly adapt their waste management programs and procedures to the situation. In the pandemic condition, waste generation has switched from industry and commercial to domestic areas. Reduced recycling activities have made municipal waste collection and disposal more difficult. This paper focuses on all the challenges and it's possible resolutions for managing food and plastic waste during the pandemic of COVID-19. © 2022 Technoscience Publications. All rights reserved.

Drivers of Solid Waste Segregation and Recycling in Kampala Slums, Uganda: A Qualitative Exploration Using the Behavior Centered Design Model.

Solid-waste management is a challenge in many cities, especially in low-income countries, including Uganda. Simple and inexpensive strategies such as solid-waste segregation and recycling have the potential to reduce risks associated with indiscriminate waste management. Unfortunately, these strategies have not been studied and adopted in slums in low-income countries. This cross-sectional qualitative study, therefore, used the behavioral-centered design model to understand the drivers of recycling in Kampala slums. Data were coded using ATLAS ti version 7.0, and content analysis was used for interpreting the findings. Our findings revealed that the study practices were not yet habitual and were driven by the presence of physical space for segregation containers, and functional social networks in the communities. Additionally, financial rewards and awareness related to the recycling benefits, and available community support were found to be critical drivers. The availability of infrastructure and objects for segregation and recycling and the influence of politics and policies were identified. There is, therefore, need for both the public and private sector to engage in developing and implementing the relevant laws and policies on solid waste recycling, increase community awareness of the critical behavior, and create sustainable markets for waste segregated and recycled products.

Malaysia's low-cost housing solid waste management in the era of COVID-19: the role of fourth industrial revolution technologies

Purpose>Studies have shown that managing household solid waste from low-cost housing in urban and sub-urban communities is challenging, especially in developing countries and COVID-19 era. Previous research proved that the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies could be engaged to improve urban public services such as household solid waste. Thus, the study investigated 4IR role in improving low-cost housing solid waste management (LCHSWM) in the COVID-19 era across Malaysia's cities.Design/methodology/approach>The researchers selected four Malaysian cities (Pulau Pinang, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Putrajaya) to achieve the study's objectives via a qualitative research design. The study engaged forty experts through semi-structured virtual interviews. A thematic approach was used to analyse the collected data.Findings>Findings identified initial high implementation and maintenance costs, unwillingness to accept change, inadequate knowledge and skilled personnel to manage the operation, amongst others, as the perceived challenges facing 4IR technologies in managing low-cost housing solid waste across Malaysian cities in the COVID-19 era. Also, the study proffered measures to improve 4IR technologies usage.Research limitations/implications>This paper is limited to the perceived contributory challenges and proffered measures to improve 4IR technologies usage in managing LCHSW across Malaysian cities in the COVID-19 era.Practical implications>Proffered measures will stir policymakers and the political class (city councils) to start thinking of an all-inclusive approach to addressing the issue of LCHSW in the 21st century. As part of the practical implications, the possible outcome might enhance collaboration between the public and private sectors to better service delivery to mitigate environmental degradation.Originality/value>As revealed in the review, there is a paucity of literature regarding digital technology's roles in mitigating LCHSW across Malaysian cities in the COVID-19 era.

Workers' knowledge, attitude and performance of a waste recycling center in Tehran metropolis regarding health aspects during the spread of Covid-19

Background and Objective: Today, the issue of health aspects in urban waste management, especially recycling, has received a lot of attention during Covid-19 around the world. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and performance of workers of one of the waste recycling centers in Tehran metropolis regarding health aspects during the spread of Covid-19. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study and the study population was all workers working in one of the recycling centers of Tehran Municipality. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire with validity and reliability in four sections: demographic, knowledge, attitude, and practice of workers toward Covid-19 and solid waste. Results: Findings of the study showed that the highest number of workers employed were in the age group of 20 to 40 years (60 percent). The level of knowledge was about 80 percent and the lack of awareness was 20 percent. The level of workers' positive attitude, negative attitude, and lack of attitude were 79.71, 14.56, and 5.72 percent, respectively. The level of positive practice among workers was about 67.43 percent and the negative practice was 32.57 percent. Conclusion: The results clarified that in order to succeed in waste management programs in recycling centers, municipal waste managers should pay more attention to educational aspects, especially through the focus on programs and their development and adaptation for different age groups, especially 20 to 40 years. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Conceptual design and simulation study of an autonomous indoor medical waste collection robot

Solid waste management is one of the critical challenges seen everywhere, and the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has only worsened the problems in the safe disposal of infectious waste. This paper outlines a design for a mobile robot that will intelligently identify, grasp, and collect a group of medical waste items using a six-degree of freedom (DoF) arm, You Only Look Once (YOLO) neural network, and a grasping algorithm. Various designs are generated before running simulations on the selected virtual model using Robot Operating System (ROS) and Gazebo simulator. A lidar sensor is also used to map the robot's surroundings and navigate autonomously. The robot has good scope for waste collection in medical facilities, where it can help create a safer environment.

Evolution of COVID-19 municipal solid waste disposal behaviors using epidemiology-based periods defined by World Health Organization guidelines.

This study aims to identify the effects of continued COVID-19 transmission on waste management trends in a Canadian capital city, using pandemic periods defined from epidemiology and the WHO guidelines. Trends are detected using both regression and Mann-Kendall tests. The proposed analytical method is jurisdictionally comparable and does not rely on administrative measures. A reduction of 190.30 tonnes/week in average residential waste collection is observed in the Group II period. COVID-19 virulence negatively correlated with residential waste generation. Data variability in average collection rates during the Group II period increased (SD=228.73 tonnes/week). A slightly lower COVID-19 induced Waste Disposal Variability (CWDW) of 0.63 was observed in the Group II period. Increasing residential waste collection trends during Group II are observed from both regression (b = +1.6) and the MK test (z = +5.0). Both trend analyses reveal a decreasing CWDV trend during the Group I period, indicating higher diversion activities. Decreasing CWDV trends are also observed during the Group II period, probably due to the implementation of new waste programs. The use of pandemic periods derived from epidemiology helps us to better understand the effect of COVID-19 on waste generation and disposal behaviors, allowing us to better compare results in regions with different socio-economic affluences.

A review on solid waste management in Canadian First Nations communities: Policy, practices, and challenges

There is an increasing concern regarding the sustainable solid waste management (SWM) around the world. This review first summarizes First Nations' social behavior, culture, environmental perspectives, and sustainable development perspectives. The review then introduces the laws and regulations regarding the First Nations SWM system and environment at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels. These laws and regulations can be described as the basic guides, restrictions, and useful improvement tools for First Nations SWM. After this, several technical reports and journal articles focusing on Canada's Native First Nations are used to provide a comparison between urban and remote communities and allow analyses of three key issues (open dumping, open burning, and COVID-19) so as to describe the current state of Canadian First Nations SWM practices and demonstrate their diversity in Canada. Lastly, the potential First Nations SWM improvement strategies are introduced through education and training, process improvement, and zero-waste possibilities.

Factors Affecting the Potential of Solid Waste Management

This investigation examines the potential, and the factors affecting the potential of network partners to manage solid waste in the epidemic control area for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The study area was Mae Sot Municipality in Tak Province, Northern Thailand, which consists of twenty communities. This is an especially pressing study topic given the dearth of literature on solid waste management in Thailand during a pandemic. The sample group was purposively selected, and was composed of household representatives living within the coronavirus epidemic control area. Data was gathered using a quantitative research method. A questionnaire was presented to 400 household representatives. Data results led to the development of an equation to determine waste management potential: Logit(y) = 0.435 − 0.086(X1) − 0.203(X2) − 0.110(X3) + 0.086(X4) + 0.046(X5) − 0.056(X6) + 0.157(X7) + 0.132(X8) + 0.214(X9) − 0.212(X10) − 0.087(X11) + 0.022(X12). Factors affecting public participation in waste management of network partners in epidemic control areas can be written as a predictive equation: Logit(y) = −0.179 + 0.092(PAR1) + 0.177(PAR2) − 0.189(PAR3) + 0.008(PAR4). Potential factors affecting the waste management of network partners in epidemic control areas can be written as follows: Logit(y) = −0.724 + 0.220(POT1) + 0.045(POT2) − 0.234(POT3) + 0.185(POT4). Solid waste management models must be suitable for the context and current situation in the local community. This includes consideration of local participation and the impact on all stakeholders in the area. The key action is to minimize the amount of solid waste before it reaches the disposal stage by focusing on participation from all sectors.

Does the creation of healthy cities promote municipal solid waste management? Empirical research in 284 cities in China.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the creation of healthy cities has become an important measure to deal with global public diseases and public health emergencies, and has had a profound impact on the management of municipal solid waste (MSW). This study exploits the Healthy Cities pilot (HCP) program established in 2016 as a natural experiment, and evaluates its impact on MSW management using the difference-in-difference (DID) method. The estimates show that the collection amount and harmless treatment capacity of MSW were increased by 15.66 and 10.75%, respectively, after the cities were established as pilot healthy cities. However, the harmless treatment rate was decreased by 3.544. This conclusion remains valid in a series of robustness tests, including parallel trend test, placebo test, propensity score matching (PSM)-DID, eliminating the interference of other policies, and eliminating the non-randomness of the policy. Mechanism analysis shows that the HCP program increased the collection amount and harmless treatment capacity of MSW by increasing the expenditure on MSW treatment. However, after a city was established as a pilot healthy city, the unsustainable high expenditure of local government on municipal sanitation led to the decrease in the harmless treatment rate of MSW. Moreover, heterogeneity analysis shows that the HCP program had a stronger impact on MSW management in cities with higher administrative levels, more obvious location advantages, and a larger size. Therefore, it is advisable to use the creation of healthy cities as an important tool to gradually improve MSW management, so as to realize the coordinated development of city construction and human health.