Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on waste generation: Focus on plastic, food, and medical wastes in South Korea

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic may have considerably increased household and medical waste generation. However, waste generation patterns are not consistent and may vary globally. Therefore, using data (2018–2021) from 25 autonomous local governments under the Seoul Metropolitan Government, this study investigated whether plastic, food, and medical waste generation increased in South Korea during the pandemic. Descriptive statistics, spatial distribution patterns, and cluster analyses were used to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the jurisdictions. Results revealed that the fluctuations in plastic, food, and medical wastes generation had little impact on the waste management system in Seoul. Patterns varied little compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. This study raises the possibility that, while it may appear that there were waste management issues and waste accumulation during COVID-19, there is much variation in the results at the jurisdictional level. This showed that not all regions experienced problems in waste management during the pandemic.