Quantification of construction and demolition waste disposal behaviors during COVID-19 using satellite imagery

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted conventional municipal solid waste (MSW) management practices and affected waste generation rates. While MSW streams have been extensively studied and reported, the impact on construction and demolition (C&D) waste remains overlooked. This research develops an innovative analytical framework utilizing satellite imagery to quantify C&D waste disposal rates during COVID-19 restrictions in a mid-sized Canadian city. Supervised classification of Landsat-8 images is conducted to derive the settlement area over a period of 8.8 years (2014–2022). The C&D disposal rates and settlement area relationship is evaluated using regression analysis. Results reveal a 73.4% reduction in mean weekly C&D disposal in 2020 compared to pre-pandemic years, reflecting diminished construction activity. The settlement area exhibits a strong positive correlation (R² = 0.812) with per capita C&D disposal rate, providing spatial evidence of urbanization patterns affecting C&D waste generation. Among socioeconomic factors examined, the value of building permits issued most influences C&D quantities (R² = 0.934). The satellite imagery-based approach allows indirect estimation of disrupted C&D waste streams when on-site auditing is restricted during pandemics. The framework offers municipal authorities spatial decision support to formulate data-driven C&D waste management policies that are essential to smart cities and resilient to future public health emergencies.