Disaster Waste in Emergencies

1. Disaster Waste in Emergencies Session 1 What is Disaster Waste?

2. What is Disaster Waste ? Abnormal generation of waste resulting from a natural disaster or conflict

3. Types of Disaster Waste • Sediment, soil and vegetation • Hazardous wastes • Building debris • Household possessions • Relief waste such as packaging • Unexploded ordnance and military vehicles • Healthcare waste • Waste from: • internally displaced people [IDP] camps • relief workers accommodation • host community / municipal waste

4. Different Disasters Different disasters are likely to generate different types of waste: • Tsunami:Vegetation, human and animal remains, building debris, municipal, camp and from relief operations • Earthquake: building debris, healthcare • Floods:households goods, healthcare, animal carcasses, camp • Hurricanes/Typhoons:similar to floods + building debris and vegetation • Post-conflict:destroyed buildings, military hardware, unexploded ordnance (UXO), depleted uranium (DU), camp and from relief operations

5. Protect public health • Protect environment and reduce risks • Opportunity for saving costs / income generation • Support sustainable livelihoods • Ensure all wastes and necessary approvals covered • Reduce future risks and liabilities • Ensure proper Health & Safety for workers Why is Waste Management Important ?

6. Managing Disaster Waste • Waste management is a multiple cluster and cross-sector issue – health, construction, municipal services, financial, industry, tourism. • Important that all stakeholders have an appreciation of waste threats and challenges but also of opportunities.

7. Managing Disaster Waste • When planning for camp and host community general and household waste ensure: • All stakeholders are involved to ensure cultural and social norms specific to the context are considered. • Work is closely coordinated with Community Mobilisers / Public Health Promotion staff for effective information collection & dissemination • Beneficiaries are involved in collection and maintenance activities from the beginning

8. Disaster Waste Generation Phases Source: MSB “Disaster Waste Management Framework” Dec 2008

9. Typical Disaster Waste Sources Damaged and Destroyed Agriculture Areas • Organic Matter • Soft organics (leaves, fruit) • Wood (trunks, branches, coconut husks) • Soil with high conductivity • Hazard Waste from flooded storage areas • Fertilizer • Pesticides • Engine Oil and batteries from service stations Source: DWR “Disaster Waste Management Plan Workshop” State of Tabasco Jan 2008

10. Damaged and Destroyed Buildings • Construction and Demolition Waste • Metal • Roof Sheets, Cable, Cupper • White Metal Goods, Car wrecks • Hazard Waste • Asbestos Roof Sheets • Electronic Equipment, Refrigerants from Resorts • Household Related Waste • Wood • untreated Wood • treated Wood Source: DWR “Disaster Waste Management Plan Workshop” State of Tabasco Jan 2008

11. General Municipal & Household Waste • Municipal / Household Wastes • Food waste • Packaging including tins, bottles and wrappings • Plastics, paper and cardboard • Glass • Etc. Source: DWR “Disaster Waste Management Plan Workshop” State of Tabasco Jan 2008

12. Relief Related Waste • Camp Related Waste • household related waste • leachate through shoreline dumping • no segregation • no controlled storage / dumping Reconstruction Related Waste • Reconstruction Activities • wood • demolition waste • packaging of construction materials Source: DWR “Disaster Waste Management Plan Workshop” State of Tabasco Jan 2008

13. DW1 • HAZARDOUS WASTE • Waste is hazardous when it contains properties that might make it harmful to our health or the environment

14. Main Components of Hazard Waste Engine Oil – Waste Oil Electronic Equipment Asbestos Oil Contaminated Soil Batteries Health Care Waste Fertilizer & Pesticides

15. ASBESTOS: Definition Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that has been in use on a commercial scale for about 150 years • Ideal for: • Fireproofing • Insulating material • Hazardous to human health if inhaled • fibres enter lungs Asbestos Fibre

16. ASBESTOS: Common Uses The major uses for asbestos materials in buildings are: Sprayed asbestos and lagging Asbestos cement Asbestos insulating board

17. What is Health Care Waste ? WHO: All waste from a health care facility that includes both potential infectious waste and non-infectious waste materials

18. Infectious Health Care Waste WHO: • Infectious sharps: syringes or other needles, blades, infusion sets, broken glass or other items that can cause direct injury • Infectiousnon-sharps:materials that have been in contact with human blood or its derivatives

19. Infectious Health Care Waste • bandages, swabs or items soaked with blood • isolation wastes from highly infectious patients - including food residues • used and obsolete vaccine vials • bedding and other contaminated materials infected with human pathogens • Human excreta from patients are also included in this category

20. What is NotInfectious Health Care Waste ? • materials that have not been in contact with patients such as paper and plastic packaging, metal, glass or other wastes - similar to household wastes.

21. What is Debris ? • Clean Rubble • Concrete • Bricks • Rocks • Wood • Plaster • Metal • Paper • Plastic • Tiles • Hazardous Materials • Asbestos • Heavy metals (i.e. lead in piping) • Paint • Adhesives • Contaminated soil, etc. • Can contaminate the whole waste stream Rubble for recovery needs to be clean of contaminants and hazardous materials

22. Mixed Rubble Mixed Rubble cannot be readily recovered and will require additional work to segregate such items as timber, plastics etc.: Timber Plastics Furnishings

23. Sources of Rubble • Rubble clean-up • Demolition of buildings • Repair of buildings • Demolition of bridges • Rehabilitation of roads • Construction waste

24. Removal of rubble provides access for Search & Rescue • Removal of waste reduces public health risks • Identification and proper handling of hazardous waste protects communities from health risks • Waste factors in Rapid Environmental Assessments • Recycling of waste materials supports economic recovery • Recycling of rubble provides building materials for shelter programmes • Set foundation for normalising ensuing municipal solid waste management • Capturing knowledge, data and information during disaster waste response can feed into future disaster preparedness planning Inter-Relation with other Activities

25. Emergency Shelter • Early Recovery • Logistics • Camp Coordination/Management • Education • Health • Environment Impacts on Other Clusters

26. Challenges • Co-ordination • Technical • Logistics • Awareness and input of stakeholders (community, land owners, government) • Policy • Integration with long-term sustainable WM systems • Human and financial resources

27. Threats • Health and Safety: • vegetation, soil, sediment, re-deposited • municipal waste • hazardous (chemicals, oils, asbestos) • healthcare waste • excreta • demolition wastes • relief (IDP) wastes • Environment • Livelihoods

28. Threats: Health and Safety • Chemical Risks: • Direct dermal contact with contaminants (oils, acids) • Inhalation of: • Products of incomplete combustion (dioxins/furans, volatilised heavy metals) • Dust (PM10) • CO2 asphyxiation in confined spaces (LFG) • Asbestos fibres • Ingestion of surface/groundwater impacted by leachate (high organics, ammonium, heavy metals, trace organics – PCBs, VOCs) • Explosion of CH4 from LFG • Nuisance from odours (chemicals or decomposition) Source: UNEP “Tsunami Waste Management Plan” Workshops 2005

29. Threats: Health and Safety • Biological Risks: • Dermal contact/ingestion of faecal material/body fluids (parasitic, enteric and viral) • Disease vectors: • Rat excreta – hanta virus, leptospirosis, plague, scrub typhus • Mosquitoes – malaria, dengue fever • Flies – bacterial infections • Nuisance – insects, birds, rodents Source: UNEP “Tsunami Waste Management Plan” Workshops 2005

30. Threats: Health and Safety • Physical Risks: • Collapse of stockpiles • Cuts and abrasions from sharp objects • Uncontrolled fires (spontaneous combustion) • Vehicle accidents • Nuisance – plumes, wind or wave-blown litter Source: UNEP “Tsunami Waste Management Plan” Workshops 2005

31. Threats: Environment • Local Environmental Risks: • Waste – directly contaminates soils (chemicals and micro-organisms) • Leachate – contaminates surface, ground and marine waters, results in stress and/or algal blooms (eutrophication) • Landfill gas – dieback of vegetation • Biodiversity - rodent, insect infestation • Aesthetics – wind and wave blown litter Source: UNEP “Tsunami Waste Management Plan” Workshops 2005

32. Threats: Reconstruction and Livelihoods • Impedes vehicle, marine and pedestrian access • Blocks drains/gullies/wells • Dumping of waste in low-lying agricultural areas (rice paddies) and fish-farming ponds • Serves as a constant reminder of the disaster • Acts as magnet for ongoing fly-tipping • Precludes livelihood recovery • Harbour and channel blockages prevent resumption of fishing activities and restricts river and marine transport Source: UNEP “Tsunami Waste Management Plan” Workshops 2005

33. Opportunities • Valuable Resource Material (coral blocks, concrete, mortar, steel, electrical cable and equipment) • Recycling of demolition waste • Disaster preparedness • Composting • Improved waste management • Economic development

34. Economic Development • Source of income for IDP’s/unemployed • Direct “cash for work” projects • supply of equipment • sale of recycled products • Trained workers for the implementation of long-term WM systems • Revenue-generation schemes linked to long-term sustainable WM systems including: • Collection and disposal charges • Fiscal policy – import duty on aggregates/plastic bottles, landfill tax • Promotion – composting, glass bottle return schemes, waste exchange programmes, financial opportunities for private sector Source: UNEP “Tsunami Waste Management Plan” Workshops 2005

35. Improved WM Systems / Governance • Incorporate best practice • Handling of hazardous wastes • Consistent systems • Develop long term, sustainable waste management