Assessment of COVID-19 Waste Flows During the Emergency State in Romania and Related Public Health and Environmental Concerns

Abstract

This paper provides a rapid assessment method of potentially infectious waste flow related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Romania focusing on the emergency state (from 16 March to 14 May 2020) where a national lockdown was in force with restrictive and social distancing measures concerning population mobility and economic activities. Medical and municipal waste management systems are critical services in combating the virus spread in the community. This assessment is useful due to poor available data of medical waste flow in environmental reports and it covers COVID-19 patients, quarantined, and self-isolated persons as the main potential infectious waste sources. The proposed model estimates that COVID-19 related waste flow is 4312 t at the national level from 25 February to 15 June of which 2633 t in the emergency state period. This assessment is correlated with deficiencies of medical and municipal waste management systems in Romania before the COVID-19 pandemic as stress factors of public health and environment. This study points out the main challenges of waste operators and reveals some best practices during this pandemic crisis. Based on the results and discussion section, several recommendations are proposed to COVID-19 waste-related issues and points out the crucial role of the reliable medical and municipal waste database in managing such biologic hazards at national and EU levels. Monitoring of COVID-19 waste flow through such models are important for decision-makers, particularly in low and middle-income countries which are facing waste management deficiencies and gaps in waste statistics, to reduce other contamination risks or related environmental threats.

COVID-19 and the emerging research trends in environmental studies: a bibliometric evaluation

“…Even before this pandemic, worldwide waste management systems were lagging behind particularly to address the plastic waste (Klemeš et al 2020 ). During this pandemic, many incidents of improper transport, storage, and disposal of COVID-19-associated medical waste has been reported particularly in the developing countries (Mihai 2020 ; Times-of-India 2020 ). Similarly, use of disposable plastic products and packaging materials has been increased due to hygienic concerns contributing towards increased volume of solid waste (Klemeš et al 2020 ).…”

Path Optimization of Medical Waste Transport Routes in the Emergent Public Health Event of COVID-19: A Hybrid Optimization Algorithm Based on the Immune–Ant Colony Algorithm

“…In past studies, Balvinder Singh Gill et al studied the transmission of COVID-19 in Malaysia [42], and Carol I. Blvd et al made algorithmic scheduling for the delivery of medical forces [43]. Compared to their approach, our approach is more comprehensive, practical, and provides a better picture of what delivery scheduling actually looks like when COVID-19 outbreaks occur in cities.…”

Repercussions of COVID-19 pandemic on solid waste generation and management strategies

“…In Romania, the National Institute of Public Health announced that household waste generated in quarantine sites is infectious waste (March 18, 2020), and strict waste management procedures must be implemented. These wastes must be collected by specialized waste operators and transported, at -4°C, to hazardous waste incinerators (Mihai, 2020).…”

“…MSW management differs depending on whether there are confirmed or suspected cases within a household. Most countries, such as in Romania (Mihai, 2020), follow the guidelines from UNEP and ECDC. In Italy, according to the Italian Health Institute guidelines (ISS, 2020), the MSW from a dwelling place with an infected person must be regarded as the residual MSW and disposed of in a separate bag.…”