About the effects of Covid-19 on solid waste management

Alessandra Cesaro; Francesco Pirozzi

doi:10.6092/1970-9870/6904

Alessandra Cesaro Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6872-6292
Francesco Pirozzi Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8418-3809

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6092/1970-9870/6904

Keywords: Environmental Protection, Solid Waste Management, Sustainable Development

Abstract

Over the last months, spread of the SaRS Co-V 19 virus has been much more than a healthcare emergency. It overrun people’s life styles, society’s organizational models, welfare systems, the economy and business world, as well as solid waste management schemes. The critical issues that have emerged require actions to overcome the crisis, while paving the way to achieve sustainable development goals: in this view, the CoViD-19 emergency may represent an opportunity, as suggested by the International Institute for the Sustainable Development. This work discusses the impact of the CoViD-19 emergency on both the generation and the management of solid waste originating from both household and healthcare activities. Data about the amount of waste produced and associated ordinary handling procedures were gathered in order to highlight how both have been affected by the measures implemented to cope with the emergency. The vulnerabilities of the overall solid waste management system have been revealed, pointing out the need for a careful rethinking of possible avenues for future development.

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Author Biographies

Alessandra Cesaro, Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II

Assistant professor of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering at the University of Naples Federico II, her research interests are in the field of solid waste treatment, with particular reference to the advanced anaerobic processing of organic residues and the innovative recovery of valuable materials from electronic waste. With a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering obtained in April 2013, she was visiting researcher at the University of Stuttgart as well as at the Technical University of Hamburg, where she cooperated with Ultrawaves GmbH. She has carried out academic teaching activities since 2016 and she had teaching experience at the Technical University of Hamburg, at Harbour City University (Hamburg) as well as in the framework of several international Training Schools. Since 2016, she is Member of the Scientific Committee of the International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology and in 2019 she joined the International Advisory Board of the International Conference on Environmental Research and Technology. She is co-author of several works published in either ISI-indexed journals or conference proceedings.

Francesco Pirozzi, Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II

Full professor of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering at the University of Naples Federico II, his research interests focus mainly on the treatment of wastewater as well as on the valorization of solid waste. He has coordinated several national and international research projects and he is co-author of more than 240 publications in the field of sanitary-environmental engineering.

Former President of both the Master and Bachelor Degree Courses in Environmental Engineering at the University of Naples Federico II from November 2009 to June 2013, he has been the Coordinator of the same courses until June 2019. He was the General Secretary of the Italian Association of Sanitary Environmental Engineering (ANDIS) from May 2004 to October 2014, Vice-President of the Italian Group of Sanitary Environmental Engineering (GITISA) from September 2011 to May 2014 and President of the GITISA from May 2014 to February 2018. Since November 2014, he is the Delegate of the Rector for the building stock of the University of Naples Federico II. He is currently a member of the Environmental Impact Assessment Committee of the Italian Ministry of the Environment.

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