Journal of Environmental Health and Sustainable Development

en Resilience and Transformation of University Waste Management During COVID-19: A Case Study of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd Solid remediation and wastes Original articles <div style="text-align: justify;">Introduction: Universities are concentrated hubs of waste generation, and the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly reshaped waste management dynamics. This study investigated the resilience and transformation of campus waste streams at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran, in 2020. Materials and Methods: Monthly physical waste analyses were conducted across seven campus zones (dormitories, faculties, cafeterias, sports halls, and faculty clubs). Waste was manually sorted, weighed, and characterized according to ASTM D5231-92, and key physicochemical parameters (moisture, density, calorific value, and C/N ratio) were measured. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (SPSS) to compare the pre-pandemic, peak-pandemic, and post-peak periods. Results: The results revealed an 81.6% reduction in total waste generation during the lockdown, alongside a major spatial shift. Waste output from academic and commercial areas (cafeteria: 90.8% decrease) collapsed, whereas dormitories became the primary source (49.3% decrease). Compositionally, organic waste increased sharply from 38.7% to 58.9%, whereas recyclables such as paper and cardboard declined drastically from 25.1% to 6.2%. These shifts reduced the calorific value by 25% and increased the moisture content, undermining the thermal treatment potential but enhancing the suitability for biological processing. Conclusion: This study demonstrates how the pandemic acted as both a disruptive shock and a catalyst for transformation. This underscores the vulnerabilities of centralized waste management models while highlighting opportunities for adaptive and decentralized solutions, such as dormitory-level composting, that strengthen resilience and foster a more flexible and crisis-responsive system.</div> COVID-19,Pandemics,Waste Management,Universities,Resilience. 2725 2733 http://jehsd.ssu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-63-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Parvin Zamani zamani.p.1921@gmail.com 0009-0001-4905-4435 No Environmental Sciences and Technology Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran Masoomeh Bagheri masoome.bagheri72@gmail.com 0000_0002_2485_329 No Environmental Sciences and Technology Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran Mehdi Mokhtari Mokhtari@ssu.ac.ir 0000-0003-2278-7329 No Environmental Sciences and Technology Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran Ehsan Abouee Mehrizi ehsan.abouee@gmail.com 0000-0003-2433-0672 No Environmental Sciences and Technology Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran Mehdi Sarlak msarlak21@gmail.com 0000-0002-5894-5598 No Environmental Sciences and Technology Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran Masoume Javaheri masouumejavaheri@yahoo.com 0000-0002-0906-804x No Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Ilam University of Medical sciences, Ilam, Iran Mehran Yazdandoust mehranyazdan20@gmail.com 0000-0002-8943-0503 Yes Environmental Sciences and Technology Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran