COVID-19 Creating another problem? Sustainable solution for PPE disposal through LCA approach

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Waste Management
• Life Cycle Assessment

Background:

• The widespread use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in infectious waste.
• Improper disposal of used PPE poses risks to human health and ecosystems.
• Limited resources and training necessitate evaluating environmentally sound disposal methods for PPE waste.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits to identify environmentally sound disposal alternatives.
• To compare the environmental impacts of landfilling versus incineration (centralized and decentralized) of used PPE.
• To evaluate six key environmental impact categories: Global Warming Potential (GWP), Human Toxicity Potential (HTP), Eutrophication Potential (EP), Acidification Potential (AP), Freshwater Aquatic Ecotoxicity Potential (FAETP), and Photochemical Ozone Depletion Potential (POCP).

Main Methods:

• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed using GaBi version 8.7.
• Two disposal scenarios were analyzed: landfill and incineration (centralized and decentralized).
• Environmental impacts were assessed across six categories for various PPE components (bodysuit, gloves, goggles, face-mask).

Main Results:

• Disposal of PPE bodysuits had the highest Global Warming Potential (GWP), followed by gloves and goggles.
• Metal strips in face-masks contributed significantly to Human Toxicity Potential (HTP).
• Incineration, both centralized and decentralized, showed higher GWP but substantially lower impacts in AP, EP, FAETP, POCP, and HTP compared to landfilling.
• Decentralized incineration emerged as the most environmentally sound option across all impact categories.

Conclusions:

• Decentralized incineration is the preferred method for managing used Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) waste due to its lower overall environmental impact compared to landfilling.
• While incineration increases GWP, it significantly mitigates other environmental harms.
• The environmental impact of transportation for waste disposal is substantial and should not be overlooked, especially for long-distance transport.