Title
Virtual Methodology for Household Waste Characterization During The Pandemic in An Urban District of Peru: Citizen Science for Waste Management
Date Issued
01 June 2022
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Moonsammy S.
Klaus, Robert
Punil, Leoncio
Ng K.T.W.
Municipalidad de Comas
Municipalidad de Comas
Publisher(s)
Springer Nature
Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused the alteration of many aspects of the solid waste management chain, such as variations in the waste composition, generation and disposal. Various studies have examined these changes with analysis of integrated waste management strategies; qualitative studies on perceived variations and statistical evaluations based on waste collected or disposed in landfills. Despite this information there is a need for updated data on waste generation and composition, especially in developing countries. The objective of this article is to develop a data sampling and analytical approach for the collection of data on household waste generation and composition during the pandemic; and, in addition, estimate the daily generation of masks in the study area. The proposed methodology is based on the principles of citizen science and utilizes virtual tools to contact participants, and for the training and collection of information. The study participants collected the information, installed segregation bins in their homes and trained their relatives in waste segregation. The article presents the results of the application of the methodology in an urban district of Lima (Peru) in August 2020. The results suggest an apparent decrease in household waste per capita and a slight increase in plastics composition in the study area. It is estimated that each participant generates 0.124 masks per day and 0.085 pairs of gloves per day. The method developed and results presented can be used as a tool for public awareness and training on household waste characterization and segregation. Furthermore it can provide the necessary evidence to inform policy directives in response household waste issues and Covid-19 restrictions.
Start page
1078
End page
1090
Volume
69
Issue
6
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Geografía económica y cultural
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85125045367
PubMed ID
Source
Environmental Management
ISSN of the container
0364152X
Sponsor(s)
We would like to thank the voluntary work of the students from the Solid Waste Technical Team of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering of the National University of Engineering and the help of the officials from Office of Environmental Management of the Municipality of Comas. Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation: NR-S; Investigation: RK, LSP; Formal Analysis, Writing- Original draft preparation: DC-R; Writing- Reviewing and Editing: SM, KTWNg.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus