Just over a year after news of the pandemic first hit, we're now starting to analyse how the virus has affected other industries besides the healthcare sector.

Waste management has been impacted in several ways by the pandemic, from the ways homeowners have been getting rid of waste as a result of tip closures, to the increased medical and PPE waste.

Over the course of the past year, more than 90% of Household Waste Recycling Centres closed temporarily to keep staff and visitors safe, and many councils suspended certain collections for varying periods of time. With this in mind, how does waste management look now and what has changed?

Stockpiling could increase food waste

Stockpiling groceries was a huge problem in the first lockdown, with the public worried about food shortages. Studies from Neilsen suggest that consumers increased their grocery spend by an extra £1.9 billion in just a month in the lead-up to the 21st March 2020, so it’s expected that the rate of food waste will also increase as lockdowns are lifted. As restaurants and cafes open up once more, households will be keen to go out to eat, leaving that stockpiled food at risk of going to landfill once it expires.

More medical waste and PPE

There’s no denying the importance of PPE and medical waste as a result of COVID-19, but the UK wasn’t prepared for the increased volume of this waste given the unprecedented nature of the pandemic. Businesses weren’t correctly informed about how to tackle this issue, which has contributed to unnecessary waste across the country.

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"During the pandemic, misinformation regarding the correct disposal of PPE and other social distancing equipment circulated the industry, much of which is still being used to confuse business owners," explains waste management company Countrystyle Recycling. Challenges remain for the UK, as social distancing measures and guidelines are still in place, despite lockdowns beginning to lift, so the increased waste from this is likely to be a continuing issue for some time, unless there are clearer guidelines on waste management.

Taking matters into our own hands

Many Household Waste Recycling Centres and local collection services closed or were put on hold as a result of social distancing and lockdown measures, meaning that many homeowners decided to take matters into their own hands in order to get rid of garden and household waste. One aspect of this has been an increase in burning waste in back gardens, a practice that has caused numerous fire incidents around the country. Not only did this increase the risk of fire hazards, but burning medical waste can release known carcinogens into the atmosphere and into the remaining ash. From avoiding specialist DIY projects and reducing gardening to minimise waste, to ensuring that food is used up rather than thrown in the bin, waste management professionals have highlighted the importance of adapting activity to remove the need for fires.

Reduced tourism waste

Many countries around the world noted that the waste resulting from tourism decreased over the past year because of the restrictions on travel. Because many major cities, such as London, experienced a migration of residents, this also contributed towards a lower quantity of tourism-related and commercial waste being produced. A common trend that many areas have experienced was a sharp decrease in the amount of commercial waste produced, primarily because of lockdown measures and temporary closures. Reductions were noticed in areas where selective collections couldn’t be maintained throughout the pandemic, such as where frequencies of food waste or paper and packaging waste were lower.

Final thoughts

The world is still in flux as a result of the pandemic and it’s likely that we won’t know the full extent of the impact on waste management, among other sectors, for some time yet. But while it’s crucial that businesses and the general public adhere to guidelines, the government and waste management professionals need to provide clear guidelines on how we should be managing the waste from the pandemic to minimise the environmental impact of COVID-19.

For waste management firms, the switch to remote working for businesses and changes to how we work and live could hit organisations hard, impacting revenue for smaller businesses. However, there’s hope that as lockdowns lift and life returns to normal, these companies will return to their pre-pandemic state.