The world has been grappling with the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic for more than a year. Various sectors have been affected by COVID-19 and its consequences. The waste management system is one of the sectors affected by such unpredictable pandemics. The experience of COVID-19 proved that adaptability to such pandemics and the post-pandemic era had become a necessity in waste management systems and this requires an accurate understanding of the challenges that have been arising. The accurate information and data from most countries severely affected by the pandemic are not still available to identify the key challenges during and post-COVID-19. The documented evidence from literature has been collected, and the attempt has been made to summarize the rising challenges and the lessons learned. This review covers all raised challenges concerning the various aspects of the waste management system from generation to final disposal (i.e., generation, storage, collection, transportation, processing, and burial of waste). The necessities and opportunities are recognized for increasing flexibility and adaptability in waste management systems. The four basic pillars are enumerated to adapt the waste management system to the COVID-19 pandemic and post-COVID-19 conditions. Striving to support and implement a circular economy is one of its basic strategies.

Center for Science and Technology Personnel Exchange and Development Service Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China No 54 Sanlihe Road Xicheng District Beijing PR China

Department of Chemical Engineering Biotechnology and Environmental Technology University of Southern Denmark Denmark

Department of Mechanical Engineering of Agricultural Machinery Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology College of Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Tehran Iran

Higher Institution Centre of Excellence Universiti Malaysia Terengganu 21030 Kuala Nerus Terengganu Malaysia; Henan Province Engineering Research Center for Biomass Value added Products School of Forestry Henan Agricultural University Zhengzhou 450002 China

Sustainable Process Integration Laboratory SPIL NETME Centre Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Brno University of Technology VUT Brno Technická 2896 2 616 69 Brno Czech Republic

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