Abstract
The world is adjusting to a new reality following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic which
has caused economic, environmental, health, and social impacts. Consequently, many
countries have declared different stages of national lockdowns that have confined people to
their homes while they are compelled to practice improved hygiene standards. Since people
were confined to a limited space, increased solid waste generation rates can be expected due
to more food purchases as well as the health care measures to curb the spread of the
coronavirus. By means of a pilot survey, the presented dissertation has attempted to
characterize and evaluate household healthcare and food waste management practices under
lockdown conditions. As a result, a questionnaire was compiled according to the research
objectives set for the investigation. As the COVID-19 pandemic imposed many restrictions on
people’s movements and even the degree of interactions, this pilot survey made use of the
Google Forms platform to collect primary data from various individuals who represent their
households and experiences with adjustments to the pandemic in various ways. The pilot
survey revealed a number of research findings on the generation and management of both
hazardous wastes and food wastes at household level. A variety of hazardous wastes were
mentioned by respondents such as used disposal face masks (n=52; 80%); wet wipes/tissues
(n=51; 78%); and safety gown (n=11, 17%). Methods to prevent further spread of the
COVID19 virus were also identified, of which hand sanitation (n=63, 97%), sanitizing surfaces
and clothes (n=56; 86%); and self-isolation of sick people (n-42; 72%) were reported by the
majority of respondents. On the other hand, food waste generation patterns were unique
during national lockdown periods. Food bought mostly during lockdown periods included
vegetables, fruits, bread and baked food. Reasons behind increased food waste generation
included stockpiling (n=43; 66%) and overcooking food (n=23; 35%). Whereas other
respondents mentioned that they were throwing away their food wastes, others were
composting it to produce soil fertilizer. Based on these results and the limitations of the pilot
survey, a few recommendations were made for future studies and improved household waste
management.
KEY WORDS: Coronavirus; pandemic; household wastes; food wastes; healthcare wastes;
lockdowns; pilot survey; waste characteristics; waste types; and challenges.