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The daily use of facemask to prevent virus transmission increases the negative effect on the environment because of improper waste disposal. Due to the absence of baseline data, the impact of facemask and medical waste generation, as well as the community’s management practice, should be studied to avoid further environmental degradation. In this study, we surveyed 384 respondents and conducted computational analysis to provide an overview of the household’s facemask usage and ecological footprint in combating Covid-19. Results showed that most respondents (48.7%) use two facemasks per day. Thus, an estimated 417,834 facemasks are disposed daily, generating 3,585 kg/day of additional waste. The average medical waste of Covid-infected individuals is 3.29 kg per day per capita. This yields 22,438 kg. of CO 2 eq., which could contribute to the global warming potential; however, there is also a potential recovery of 61.572 gigajoules of energy for power generation. Most respondents are aware of proper facemask waste management practices, but some lacks application regarding responsible waste disposal. Despite the contribution of facemask to the overall solid waste generation, the city’s current management remains a challenge since disposable facemasks are potentially mixed with other types of waste from its storage, collection, and disposal. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10163-023-01601-2.

A waste analysis and characterisation study requires urgent measures to regulate and to solve the piling up of garbage worldwide; this is an essential factor towards the projection of a feasible and environmentally acceptable solution. Baguio City is a favourite holiday destination during summer in the Philippines; initially designed as a hill station for 25,000 people, its population has now risen to 345,400, which doubles and even triples during peak seasons. As such, this study was conducted to determine the levels of waste generation and assess the current diversion method of its municipal solid waste to prevent the town from further deteriorating into unsustainable urbanisation. The results revealed that the total waste generated is 402,776.38 kg per day, wherein the average per capita waste generation for domestic sources is 0.4193 kg per day. Solid waste is composed of biodegradables (41.67%), recyclables (33.78%), residuals (24.15%) and special wastes (0.40%), with the average moisture level of the solid waste sample at 57.462%. With tourists contributing 19.69% of those wastes during peak events, the only recoverable wastes were biodegradables and recyclables, which have a diversion percentage of 23.28%. The study recommends to the city of Baguio to have its own engineered sanitary landfill, simulated GIS-based collection system and expanded waste recovery facility, to increase waste-diversion percentages and to decrease its expenditure for hauling, collecting, storing and transporting its solid waste, in order to adhere to its mission of creating a sustainable and enabling environment.

Composting is one of the simplest and oldest methods for reducing biowaste at source before it goes to the main waste stream. However, odor from the degradation procedure can be a significant problem, which can hinder household to pursue this kind of endeavor. This study aimed to evaluate the composting barrel using a covering device to mitigate the emission of foul odor during composting of typical household biowaste. Turning the substrates inside the barrel is recommended, but the effect of turning frequency needs additional discussion. Hence, two barrels with the same capacity were used in the study for comparison. Barrel A was turned daily while Barrel B was turned once a week, both with five complete rotations. Results showed that compost from Barrel A could be harvested earlier than Barrel B, as a result of the higher turning rate. Composting parameters such as temperature, pH, moisture content, and mass variations were carefully monitored and exhibited acceptable operating conditions.In terms of the quality of the final compost, the former had a total Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium (NPK) of 4.67 %, while the latter has a total NPK of 4.86 %, which are both classified as soil conditioners based on the standard for organic soil amendments. Moreover, the activated carbon (AC) mat cover was found to be effective (p<0.05) in deterring odor in the course of the decomposition process. Hence, this study demonstrates that the composting can be a nonodorous and eco-friendly solution for household's biodegradable waste management.