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README.md

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    Waste PPE: addressing the challenge

    Framing: PPE waste generation and footprint

    Patricia

    Waste generation

    • Landfill volumes have fallen due to the lockdown, whereas medical waste from hospitals have been significantly increased due to the disposal of tons of soiled PPE.
    • Figure 1: Reduction in landfill volumes during the pandemic (survey from mid-March to May - [Lodge, 2020] (https://karmaimpact.com/landfill-usage-down-during-covid-19-pandemic/)
    • Figure 2: The expected trend of medical and MSW waste flow durong the pandemic (Klemes et al., 2020)
    • China has the most data on this issue:
      • Amount of MSW in large and medium cities was reduced by 30% during the disease outbreak.
      • However, the generation of medical waste increased sharply - by 370% in Hubei Province, with a high proportion of plastics.
      • 20 January-31 March: The accumulated medical waste in all China was estimated as 207 kt.
      • In Wuhan, medical waste increased from the normal level of 40 t/d to about a peak of 240 t/d, exceeding the maximum incineration capacity of 49 t/d.
    • US data on medical waste generation missing
      • IBISWorld reports on PPE Manufacturing Statistics in the US cost ~$1,000.
      • Contact Stericycle, the largest hauler of regulated medical waste in the US & operator of 50 medical waste treatment plants?
      • Contact MGH, through Lorena Altamirano?
      • Other suggestions?

    Waste management & footprint

    • Effective management of biomedical & healthcare waste requires appropriate identification, collection, separation, storage, transportation, treatment/disinfection and disposal/recovery.
    • Figure 3: The main waste handling approaches for contaminated waste during COVID-19 (Klemes et al., 2020)
    • Incineration and steam sterilisation are the most common pathways for thermal treatment of hazardous medical waste.
    • Plastics have calorific values comparable to conventional fuels (Gasoline: 43 / LNG: 47 MJ/kg).
    • Figure 4: The calorific value of plastic and the exhaust gas released by incinerating MSW, hazardous waste and sewage sludge (Klemes et al., 2020).
    • The energy embodied in plastic waste can be recovered if adequately managed.
    • Figure 5 shows the typical energy consumption in the life cycle of plastic products (withouth considering the transportation stage).
    • The embodied energy in the plastic can be recovered through primary and mechanical recycling, energy recovery and possibly chemical recycling (depolymerisation). The energy required for
    • The concept of Plastic Waste Footprint (PWF) can be used as a metric for environmental burdens, to compare alternative solutions on plastic production & waste management: the total mass of plastic waste generated by a process/product or service minus the amount of plastic avoided /reused / recycled / reprocessed.
    • Further research: -Collect data on PPE Lifecycle: CO2/GHG emissions of PPE generation & waste management

    Nik

    • Stericycle Earnings Report indicates no increase in April compared to previous year, expects major surge post June 1 as America opens.
    • Wuhan produced 40 tons per day pre-coronavirus, 240 tonnes per day during peak coronavirus. Could expect a 6 fold increase. Rapidly built waste treatment plants. -
 Multiple medical waste experts told Waste Dive the virus is classified as a Category B situation, and so exposure to it poses a lower risk threshold than Ebola or another Category A disease.

    • 3 days surface expectancy, Source: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2004973

    Overview Reuse: priority (use cycles); then eventually recycle/degrade/incinerate