15 Nov COVID-19, waste production and municipal recycling programs: Insights from Chile to the global south
| Título | COVID-19, waste production and municipal recycling programs: Insights from Chile to the global south |
| Autor(es) | Valeria D. Muñoz-Soto, Sebastián Dávila-Gálvez, Andrea Espinoza Pérez, Luis Rojo-González, Nicolás Valenzuela Levi, Óscar C. Vásquez |
| Línea(s) | Dinámicas Socioespaciales |
| Año de publicación | 2023 |
| Revista | Science of The Total Environment |
| Palabras claves | Drop off points; Recycling; Waste separation; Global south; Walking distance. |
| Resumen | The amount and characterization of municipal and industrial waste generated in numerous cities worldwide have changed dramatically in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, assessing the impact of COVID-19-related policies is important to provide decision-makers with adequate knowledge to respond effectively to future events and create successful policies that respond to specific contexts. This study focuses on Chile, Latin America’s second-largest municipal and industrial solid waste producer, with tight quarantine procedures placed to prevent the virus from spreading, and a series of monetary incentives implemented to minimize the economic and social impact of the quarantines. The time series of municipal solid waste (MSW) and recycling in the metropolitan region show a decrease in the amount collected during the initial months of lockdown and a subsequent increase during monetary incentive implementation. The country recovered and exceeded pre-pandemic MSW generation and recycling levels. Furthermore, the lockdown and the withdrawal of retirement funds (WRF) had a varied impact on each municipality in the region. However, WRF had a larger direct impact than a lockdown, indicating that purchasing power has a greater impact than mobility in waste generation and recycling, at least in this region of Chile. |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165388 |
| Autor(es) de correspondencia | Sebastián Dávila-Gálvez, sebastian.davila@usach.cl |