Integrated life cycle assessment with data envelopment analysis for enhancing medical waste management during a public health crisis

The generation of medical waste (MW) is expected to increase significantly during a public health crisis, such as COVID-19, which presents serious challenges to subsequent MW treatment systems. However, little research has been investigated into the sustainability of MW management during emergency crisis. It is crucial to explore the variations brought about by the pandemic and identify proper measures to improve inadequate treatment efficiencies to handle the increased MW burdens, but, this has not been addressed yet. This study developed an integrated model of life cycle assessment (LCA) with data envelopment analysis (DEA) to examine and enhance the efficiency of MW management during a pandemic, with a focus on Wuhan City, Hubei Province, and China. The findings showed that during the peak of the pandemic, environmental and economic impacts of MW treatment were 1.3-5.4 times and 1.9-5.9 times higher, respectively. These variations were mostly caused by steam sterilization to create a high-temperature environment, emphasizing the need to replace conventional fuels with sustainable sources. The LCA-DEA model identified movable organic Rankine cycle (ORC) incinerator as the most efficient option, achieving a full score of 1.0 for both pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency. Additionally, the model quantified potential reductions in environmental impacts, such as global warming and terrestrial acidification, to enhance management efficiency of inadequate strategies. The findings of this study not only reveal variations brought about by the pandemic but also provide effective measures to enhance MW management efficiencies under emergency situations, which can indicate policymakers and practitioners on how to improve MW management during public health crisis.