Possíveis efeitos da pandemia da COVID-19 na geração de resíduos sólidos urbanos no município de Curitiba-PR

Abstract

Global development and sustainability are interconnected subjects these days, where the society is encouraged by consumerism, but the care with natural resources, the environment and the environmental impacts are factors that are constantly being discussed. The generation of municipal solid waste - both in quantity and type of material - depends on the profile of the cities where it’s generated, the characteristics of its occupants, along with the environmental, socioeconomic and seasonal factors. In 2020, the world was surprised by COVID-19, which arrived in the capital of Paraná in March, changing the routine of the whole population of the city, bringing determination through municipal decrees, which sought to maintain control over mass contamination of Curitiba population and neighboring cities. The objective for this paper was to verify the possible effects of COVID-19 pandemic on generation of municipal solid waste in the city of Curitiba. Through a case study and from the solid waste management plan of the city, along with data surveys on generation, collection and destination waste, the data found for the years 2019 and 2020 was compared, before and during the pandemic, respectively. There was a 1.1% reduction in the generation of household waste and a 31.6% reduction in the generation of medical waste. Recyclable materials had an increase of 11%, debris increased by 41.4% and toxic waste had an increase of 34.6%. When the wastes are observed separately, some variations can be noticed, but, in general, there were not many effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.