UNITED
NATIONS
UNEP(DTIE)/GPWM/BC.1/INF/10
Global Partnership
on Waste Management
Distr.: General
12 October 2012
English only
Biennium Conference of the Global
Partnership on Waste Management
Osaka, Japan, 5 and 6 November 2012
Background paper on disaster debris
I.
Introduction
1.
Over the past decade, management of disaster debris has emerged as a separate stream in
waste management. The term disaster debris does not refer to a certain waste composition but a
context within which the waste has been generated. So, in some cases, the disaster debris may be
identical to conventional wastes, while in others it can be different. While different types of disasters
create wastes of different characteristics, all disasters generate wastes of some kind and their
management is becoming a major issue to be addressed in all post disaster settings.
2.
The Global Partnership on Waste Management currently has six focal areas of work, but
disaster debris management is not one of them. However, disaster debris management could benefit
from new technical and management approaches developed in all other focal areas, which is why it is
important that professionals who are engaged in disaster waste management also tune into the
GPWM initiatives.
II.
Background
3.
All disasters produce wastes of some kind, be it the trees caused to fall by a cyclone, a
house destroyed by an earthquake, a beach coated by an oil spill, or animals killed by a flood. Postdisaster responses also produce wastes – from the human excreta of people staying in camps to dayto-day household wastes. The issue of management of wastes created by disasters is becoming an
increasingly important issue to be addressed in post-disaster response due to their scale, complexity,
and costs. The cost of disaster waste management is crossing the billion dollar mark in some of the
major disasters, which is necessitating and prompting the emergence of a separate stream of expertise
in disaster waste management (DWM).
4.
While it may be technically similar to conventional waste management, DWM is different
in many practical ways. The massive amount of wastes produced, the mixing up of various waste
streams, the delay between production of wastes and its disposal, and the overwhelming of locally
available disposal facilities, all make the DWM a very complex issue to address. The following
sections will address the key issues associated with DWM.
III.
Type of disasters and its impacts on disaster waste
5.
While all disasters produce some type of waste, the nature of disaster wastes will depend
on the type of disaster. The following sections outline some of the typical disasters and key features
of the disaster wastes which results from the same.
For reasons of economy, this document is printed in a limited number. Participants are kindly requested to bring their copies to
meetings and not to request additional copies.
UNEP(DTIE)/GPWM/BC.1/INF/10
Type of disaster
Waste characteristics
a) Earthquakes
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b) Tsunamis
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As buildings collapse with no warning, there is a mix-up of all
contents in the building which needs careful sorting.
Human beings and animals are often trapped within the debris,
which needs careful handling during demolition of the collapsed
structures.
As earthquakes are not associated with rains or flooding, proper
handling of debris at an early stage maximizes recycling and
minimizes biodegradation. As a consequence, secondary
production of hazardous gases or wastes does not constitute a
significant issue.
In locations where a major collapse of the urban infrastructure
occurs, urban waste management facilities also might be
damaged
All tsunami wastes are washed with salt water making many of
the objects non-recyclable and increasing the possibility of
biodegradation and generation of hazardous gases and
secondary wastes.
Tsunamis carry debris along with the water flow, at times for
long distances; the wastes of various kinds (garden, household,
and industrial) therefore get mixed up.
Bodies can be trapped in the debris and therefore needs to be
handled with care.
Tsunami debris may be deposited far away from the location
where it was generated making it difficult for people to identify
personal possessions, and minimizing recovery.
Tsunamis may carry substantial parts of the debris back into the
ocean necessitating complicated approaches to their recovery
and management.
On a positive note, tsunamis impact only a narrow stretch along the
coastline. Even if, as in the worst cases in Japan and Indonesia, it carries
debris up to 5 km, the waste management infrastructure is not damaged
beyond that point.
c) Floods
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d) Hurricanes and
typhoons
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All flood-generated wastes are soaked in water, increasing
biodegradation and leading to unsafe conditions.
Recycling possibilities are likely to be impacted due to damage
caused by the water.
Most objects are damaged in situ, hence the possibility for
individual families to identify and subsequently recover their
possessions are higher.
Floods impact large areas, and unless the local waste
management facilities were built keeping in mind flooding
potential, they are also most likely to be negatively affected.
Communities often have some time to prepare and to salvage
and secure valuables prior to the disasters.
Substantial damage to vegetation causes dealing with fallen
trees, which is a major disaster management activity in itself.
Buildings and its contents often move from their original
location making identification difficult and salvage less likely.
The debris is damaged by rain or floods speeding up
biodegradation.
The local waste management capacity is most likely impacted,
making the recovery process challenging.
UNEP(DTIE)/GPWM/BC.1/INF/10
IV.
e) Technological
accidents
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Waste oil and oil contaminated material from oil spills
Radioactively contaminated materials
Waste chemicals and chemicals contaminated wastes from
chemical accidents
f) Waste streams
from relief
operations
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Household municipal wastes
Health care wastes
Disaster wastes: classification
6.
While the nature of disasters makes a difference in terms of the composition of the waste
and the resources needed to handle the same, from a material point of view, the waste can be divided
into a number of different streams. Such a classification is important to maximize recycling and
minimize the need for final disposal. Since disasters often convert everything in an affected
community to waste, the waste needs to be segregated into dozens of separate categories. However,
such segregation is neither practically feasible nor technologically significant. The decision on how
the many streams of waste should be initially classified is based on three factors:
a)
How much time is available to complete the waste clearance?
b)
How many human resources are available to effect sorting?
c) What infrastructure and supply chain facilities are available to handle materials that have
been sorted?
7. The box below shows the typical groupings from a disaster waste situation:
V.
Wood
White goods
Metal
E-waste
Concrete and building materials
Hazardous wastes
Biodegradable wastes
Asbestos
Animal Carcasses
Unique challenges of disaster waste management
8.
While waste management is a well developed area, DWM needs special attention and
skills because of a number of unique challenges that have to be handled while dealing with debris in a
post-disaster situation. The following section outlines these challenges.
a)
Collapse of existing waste management systems
b)
Overwhelming of existing or remaining facilities
c)
Absence of adequate technical know-how to deal with specialized wastes
d)
Lack of facilities for hazardous wastes
e)
Lack of financial resources to deal with the sudden overload of the waste management
system
VI.
Dealing with the challenges
9.
Regardless whether a country has the financial resources or whether a local municipality
has the technical capacity, disaster waste is an extra burden on existing waste management systems.
In addition, recovery, both physical and emotional, is not possible before the debris is cleared from
the ground zero. It is therefore important that countries, rich and poor, have plans in place to deal
with disaster wastes. The following sections give a brief outline of what are the key actions to be
undertaken by countries that may have to deal with disaster wastes.
10.
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Risk assessment and preparation of contingency plans
UNEP(DTIE)/GPWM/BC.1/INF/10
11.
Creation of emergency staging areas and landfills
12.
Use waste management as an opportunity to create employment
13.
Explore innovative approaches for financing waste
VII. Discussion points
14.
How can national waste management strategies factor in the possibility of disaster waste
generation and needs to manage the same?
15.
How can the national technical capacity of a country be enhanced for disaster waste
management factoring in the multi hazard nature of that country?
16.
What are some innovative strategies for cost effective disaster debris management in
developing countries?
17.
How can the private sector be more effectively involved in disaster waste management?
VIII. Conclusion
18.
The scale, complexity and costs of disaster debris as well as the increasing frequency of
natural disasters make this waste stream a high priority area that needs to be addressed in national
waste management strategies. The lack of adequate facilities to deal with hazardous waste, as well as
often scarce technical, financial and human capacities and resources pose additional challenges for
waste management authorities to adequately deal with disaster waste. While disaster debris is, due to
mainly logistical reasons, distinct from other waste streams, it nevertheless shares some core
characteristics that could benefit from an enhanced linkage with other stakeholders. In this
perspective, the GPWM offers an opportunity to connect the experiences and capacities from areas,
such as municipal solid waste, health care waste, business involvement, etc. with the particular case
of disaster waste management. Sharing experiences and best practices on financial schemes and
private sector involvement as well as on technical issues can lead to substantial improvements in
contingency planning and preparation and prepare countries to deal in a more environmentally
effective and cost efficient manner with disaster debris.
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