Recycling and household waste insight: The impact after four successive waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Study in Guelma city, North-East of Algeria

ABSTRACT

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has wreaked havoc especially in 2020 and the first half of 2021 and has left severe after-effects affecting not only the health sector but also all aspects of human life. The aim of this study is to inspect the current trends of the quantities of household waste produced during the first four waves of the pandemic. The study was carried out in Guelma city, northeastern of Algeria, where the first containment was registered on February 25, 2020, it concerns an Italian national (Mohamed et al. 2021). An increase in the production of household waste of approximately 14% during the first containment was recorded in the study area, with the interruption of recycling, which caused an enormous pressure on the technical landfill center of Guelma. The results showed that the trend of waste production decreased at the following averages 205.80;198.92;196.69 and 192.43 tons, for the first four waves of COVID-19 respectively. Therefore, a return to the pre-pandemic state would be close, which dampens the impact and pressure on the landfill and the environment. This research allows for perceiving the waste management status in Algeria, between the pandemic and post-pandemic period. © 2023. The Author(s).