Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on landfilling and recycling in the city of Fargo, North Dakota, USA

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted different aspects of human lifestyle, including waste generation and management. The landfilled and recycled waste volume from the City of Fargo’s annual solid waste report between 2019 and 2021 was critically analyzed to understand these impacts. The analysis showed a 4.5% increase in the residential waste volume in 2020 compared to 2019 and 2021, suggesting a pandemic-induced lockdown effect. The monthly residential waste volume was approximately 5–15% greater during the mandatory quarantine period (April – November 2020) than in 2019 and 2021. Commercial waste volume decreased by 12% during 2020 and then sharply increased in 2021 as commercial facilities reopened. The total recycling volume increased slightly by 2.5% in 2020 compared to 2019 and 2021. Cardboard recycling showed a 5.8% increase in 2020 from 2019 and a 13% increase in 2021 compared to 2020. This was presumably caused by the reliance on online shopping during the pandemic and becoming habituated to online shopping. The COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly impact other classes of recycled waste volumes. In summary, COVID-19 affected landfilling and recycling in different capacities in the City of Fargo. The data will contribute to the global understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on solid waste management practices.

Implications: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted waste generation and management. In Fargo, USA, the monthly residential waste volume increased by up to 15% during the mandatory quarantine period in 2020 compared to the same period in 2019 and 2021. Conversely, the monthly commercial waste volume decreased during the mandatory quarantine period in 2020. The commercial waste volume increased in 2021 as commercial activities became normal. The cardboard recycling increased significantly because people became used to online shopping during the lockdown, and the practice continues. The findings will contribute to the global understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on solid waste management practices.

Acknowledgment

Biraj Saha and Md Tanbir Khan were supported by the Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Department at North Dakota State University. We are grateful to Scott Olson and Terry Ludlum from the City of Fargo Division of Solid Waste for their help with the data and relevant information.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data will be made available on request.

Supporting information

Comparison of landfilled waste volume before and after COVID-19 in different locations, COVID-19 restrictions in North Dakota, monthly landfilled volume profile of residential, commercial, primary haulers, industrial, and inert waste, and monthly recycled waste volume of yard waste, sludge, biosolids, plastic, biogrits, news prints, and metals, and the list of acronyms.

Supplementary data

Supplemental data for this paper can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2023.2221649

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Biraj Saha

Biraj Saha is a graduate researcher in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at North Dakota State University. His research is on PFAS in solid waste.

Md Tanbir Khan

Md Tanbir Khan is a graduate researcher in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at North Dakota State University. His research is on plastics degradation in landfills.

Malachi Graupman

Malachi Graupman is a graduate researcher in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at North Dakota State University.

Hafiz Muhammad Umer Aslam

Hafiz Muhammad Umer Aslam is a graduate researcher in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at North Dakota State University.

Anand K. Gupta

Anand K. Gupta is a graduate researcher in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at North Dakota State University.

Grant Helmin

Grant Helmin is an undergraduate researcher in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at North Dakota State University.

Mitchell Larson

Mitchell Larson is an undergraduate researcher in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at North Dakota State University.

Kylie Chard

Kylie Chard is an undergraduate researcher in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at North Dakota State University.

Bailey Hayes

Bailey Hayes is an undergraduate researcher in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at North Dakota State University.

Rachel Anderson

Rachel Anderson is an undergraduate researcher in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at North Dakota State University.

Stephanie C. Bolyard

Stephanie C. Bolyard is a Senior Engineer to the Assistant Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). She works to support, set, and guide activities that consistently articulate DEQ’s mission and implement the strategic plan.

Kelly A. Rusch

Kelly A. Rusch is a professor in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at North Dakota State University. Her research is on biofuel production from algal biomass.

Achintya N. Bezbaruah

Achintya N. Bezbaruah is a professor in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at North Dakota State University. His research is in the area of environmental nanotechnology.

Syeed Md Iskander

Syeed Md Iskander is an assistant professor in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at North Dakota State University. His research is in the area of solid waste management.