Covid Waste

The start of the 2020s have been indelibly marked by the still on-going global Covid-19 pandemic, which has impacted the lives and livelihoods of billions in nearly every corner of the planet. Given the magnitude of the crisis and the highly infectious nature of the disease, the sustainable and hygienic management of potentially hazardous waste remains a priority for halting its potential spread- a connection that was made both early and forcefully from many within the interdisciplinary waste management studies field.

Early on, there were concerns over a potential avalanche of Covid waste: and not exclusively medical waste, but takeaway containers, plastic bags, empty bottles of sanitizer, and millions of discarded face masks, all generated by a society coping with a new reality of state-mandated consumption and behaviour restrictions. This increased volume and diversity of waste has raised questions over the ability of the fragile, and often overstretched municipal waste management systems to cope; and as a consequence, what happens when they can’t?

Our work is examining the current behaviours and perceptions around masks, mask disposal, and the systems around pathogenic waste in general.