Analysis of COVID-19 impacts at the collection of municipal household, recyclables and healthcare wastes in the municipality of Araraquara (SP), Brazil

Since the beginning the pandemic, new procedures has been developing for the protection of urban life and, they may have affected solid waste collection in medium-sized municipalities. The main objective was to analyze the impacts of COVID-19 on the collection of household solid waste, recyclables, and health care services in Araraquara, an inland city of São Paulo. Data analysis was performed from January to July 2020 and in the same period in 2019. The municipality has recorded increased cases of the disease throughout the first year of the pandemic, and this situation can have triggered some variability in the collection of solid waste due to some evidences, from adherence to social isolation, behavior of the population, existence of a more restrictive public policy. Most neighborhoods affected by COVID-19 were Centro, Vila Xavier, Jardim Selmi Dei-I, Jardim Iguatemi, and Vale do Sol in the period analyzed. The regular and selective collection were been maintained, according to the municipality’s contingency plan. There was a reduction in collection for most of the solid waste studied in this research, especially at the beginning of the pandemic. The collection of household solid waste in Araraquara was, on average, reduced by 8% (0.69 kg/inhab.d) in the pandemic, compared to what was expected by the public manager (0.75 kg/inhab.d). The municipal solid waste rate could be an alternative, among others, to predict high-risk events of society contamination.

COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus; solid waste; public management