Post-Pandemic Municipal Solid Waste Management System Database

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has introduced unprecedented challenges for municipal solid waste management systems (MSWMSs). Despite the precautionary efforts made by MSWMS entities, their responses have largely been reactive and ad hoc to keep up with the increased waste demand caused by the pandemic. As a result, they have been struggling with optimizing their responses and minimizing the environmental impact of waste through more sustainable options such as recycling. In this RAPID project, ephemeral data was collected over a period of 12 months, beginning in March 2020 and ending in February 2021, on the longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nine MSWMSs. The investigated systems have diverse levels of urbanization and are located across three of the U.S. states most impacted by the pandemic, namely Florida, New York, and California. A user-friendly informational database is presented in this project capturing details about MSWMSs entities, waste collection processes, challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and adaptive measures implemented to mitigate the identified challenges.