Research on the Impact Mechanism of Changes in the Production of Medical Solid Waste in China Before and after COVID-19

The changes of medical solid waste (MSW) output in recent years have had a significant impact on the spread of the virus. There is a high-risk transmission of MSW in various stages such as storage, transportation, and treatment during the COVID-19. To cope with the risks brought by the epidemic, normalized prevention consumes a large amount of protective clothing, medical masks, goggles, packaging bags, and other related medical supplies. There is a significant uncertainty in the amount of MSW output that poses a risk of COVID-19 infection in the event of an emergency, which increases the difficulty of collecting and handling epidemic prevention MSW. The analysis of MSW data from 2000 to 2022 found a stable growth trend before 2019. However, the MSW data was a sudden increase trend from 2020 to 2022, and the COVID-19 in China was characterized by an initial stage, an outbreak stage, and a stable growth stage. The range of MSW output during the epidemic was (1.19–1.75) × 106 t a−1. The amount of MSW was approximately 1.19 × 106 t a−1 during the normalized epidemic period, and its treatment cost was as high as 3.57 × 109 yuan (RMB)·a−1. The distribution of MSW output was uneven due to factors such as climate conditions, population data, and local economy. This study has important reference value for epidemic medical material reserves and MSW treatment.