1WHO – Technical Notes for Emergencies Technical Note No. 7 Draft revised: 7.1.05

Solid waste managementin emergencies

World Health Organization

This technical note outlines some of the key activities indealing with solid waste in the immediate aftermath of adisaster. Solid waste refers here to all non-liquid wastes(e.g. rubbish or garbage). Sometimes solid waste maycontain faeces. Solid waste can create significant healthproblems and a very unpleasant living environment if notdisposed of safely and appropriately. It can providebreeding sites for insects and vermin (e.g. rats) whichincrease the likelihood of disease transmission, and canattract snakes and other pests. Unmanaged waste canalso pollute water sources and the environment.

The process of planning solid waste management in anemergency is illustrated in Figure 1.

Initial assessmentThe first stage in dealing with solid waste is tounderstand the emergency context and the nature ofwaste being generated. The following sections outlinekey questions for consideration.

The contextWhat solid waste management systems/ equipmentis already in place? How has it been affected? Is itpossible to work with and learn from the existingsystems?

How many people are affected? Where are they?What are they doing with waste at present?Are there any pertinent cultural factors?

What opportunities or restrictions does theenvironment present? Is it possible to dig pits?Where are surface water sources located? At whatlevel does the water table like? Where is landavailable?

The wasteWhat waste is being generated(e.g. organic, hazardous, dry etc.)?

Where is waste being generated? How accessibleare waste generators?

How much waste is being generated?

Please note: Medical and hazardous wastes are notdiscussed in this technical note.

Figure 1. The process of planningsolid waste management in an emergency

Long term solutions(Not covered in this technical note).

Intermediate response (6 months)

Developing collection and disposalsystem and building landfill pits

away from settlements.Consulting and educating users.

Immediate response (1 month)

Clearing scattered waste andintroducing onsite and community pits.

Initial assessment

Understanding the contextand waste generation.

Waste generation, density and sources

Waste is produced by households, shops, markets,businesses, medical centres and distributionpoints.

Generation rates vary considerably according toseasons, diets (e.g. changes from fresh vegetableto packaged aid goods) and even the day of theweek. An average of around 0.5kg/ capita/ day iscommon in low-income cities.

Waste densities also vary considerably.Densities for low-income cities are usually around200-400 kg/m3.

Where lots of packaging is used in emergencysituations, densities are likely to decrease.

2 WHO – Technical Notes for EmergenciesDraft revised: 7.1.05 Technical Note No. 7

Immediate responseActivities should be prioritised according to presentand future health hazards of different waste types andsources. Activities are likely to focus on clearing ofexisting scattered waste and managing waste fromhouseholds and markets.

On-site household disposalSuitable where space is not too limited and wherewaste has a high organic content (as it will decomposeand reduce in volume). Also useful in areas whereaccess is difficult.

Pits should be 1m deep and be frequently covered withash/soil to prevent access to waste by insects and rats,and to reduce odours.

Note that on-site disposal is labour-intensive andrequires advanced household cooperation.

Intermediate solutions

Community issuesConsultation. It is useful and important to consultpotential users of a waste management system beforeand during design and implementation.

Education. It is important for participating communitiesto understand how good solid waste management canbe achieved and can benefit their health.

Community pitsMust be located within 100m walking distance of anyhousehold (SPHERE Guidelines).

As a rough guide guide, 50 people will fill 1m3 of a piteach month, depending on generation rates and density.

These are rapid to implement and requires little operationand maintenance. Note that some people may object towalking 100m to deposit waste.

Collection and storageIn some situations on-site, community pits may be asuitable medium-term solution, whilst in others it will benecessary to devise ways of removing and disposing ofwaste. This will usually involve the following:

storage in the house;

deposition at intermediate storage point; and

collection and transport to final disposal.

In the home, plastic bags or a small container with a lidmake suitable storage containers.

For intermediate storage points in communal areas binsof maximum 100 litre capacity are required (when fullthis will weigh around 40kg). Oil drums cut in half can besuitable. Ideally the bin will be arranged so that it can beemptied easily (e.g. hinged so it can tip into a handcart).A 100 litre bin is required for each 50 people or for a fewmarket stalls. Bins require daily emptying, and this islabour-intensive.

Solid waste management

3WHO – Technical Notes for Emergencies Technical Note No. 7 Draft revised: 7.1.05

TransportWhen selecting suitable vehicles, waste generationrates and densities need to be considered along with:

areas they need to access (e.g. narrow alleys oruneven paths); and

distance between collection and disposal points.

For example, a wheelbarrow could collect waste fromapproximately 50 individuals before requiring emptying.

Solid waste management

4 WHO – Technical Notes for EmergenciesDraft revised: 7.1.05 Technical Note No. 7

Recycling and compostingIn time it may be possible to work with local recyclingindustries to encourage entrepreneurs or wastecollectors to gather recyclable items. This can providea source of income as well as reducing the amount ofwaste requiring disposal. Home composting can alsobe an effective means by which to reduce the volume ofwaste requiring collection and disposal.

Management and implementationIt is important to consider management structures andimplementation methods. At times in emergencysituations, particularly early on, activities may have tobe strongly enforced until more participating systemscan be introduced.

Continuously review, monitor and response to thenature of waste, pervading conditions and levels ofcommunity participation.

Long-term waste managementIn the long-term, capacity of landfill sites need to beincreased, leachate needs to be contained and treatedand the overall sustainability of waste managementpractices must be considered. Long-term solutions arebeyond the scope of this technical note.

Further informationHarvey, P., Baghri, S and Reed, R. A. (2002)

Emergency Sanitation: Assessment andProgramme Design. WEDC, Loughborough, UK

SPHERE Guidelines, The Sphere Project (2004)Humanitarian Charter and MinimumStandards in Disaster Response,The Sphere Project: Geneva,Switzerland (Distributedworldwide by Oxfam GB)

http://www.sphereproject.org/handbook/index.htm

Other important factors

IncinerationIncineration is not usually a favourable option for solidwaste management as it requires a large capital inputand care for operation and management to ensure non-polluting bone. Where burning is deemed necessary(e.g. to reduce waste volume), it must be done at least1km downwind of settlements, and ashes should becovered with soil daily. On-site burning of householdwaste can be highly-polluting and can be a fire hazard.

Care of equipmentWaste can often be corrosive, so it is important to paintall metal waste management equipment and to wash itfrequently. Such activity can significantly increased thelife of equipment.

Emergency response wastePackaging of emergency response provisions (e.g.food, water, medicine, shelter) can produce seriouswaste problems. Consider this in procurement andwhere possible manage packaging waste at point ofdistribution to prevent its widespread scattering.

DisposalAs a medium-term solution, larger-scale landfill pits canbe constructed. Without leachate (liquid runoff)treatment these are not suitable for long-term use. Theyshould be situated at least1km downwind ofsettlements, at a location selected in consultation withthe population. They should also be situated downhill ofwater sources and at least 50m from surface watersources. Carefully consider drainage where the pit is onsloping ground and erect fences to keep animals andscavengers out.

StaffApproximately 2.5 workers are required for 1000community members (WHO/ UNEP 1991). Protectiveclothing and equipment need to be considered (e.g.gloves, boots, visibility jackets).

Solid waste management

This information has been prepared by WEDCAuthor: Jonathan Rouse Series Editor: Bob Reed Design: Glenda McMahon Illustrations: Rod Shaw Graphics: Ken ChattertonWater, Engineering and Development Centre, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK.Phone: +44 1509 222885 Fax: +44 1509 211079 E-mail: WEDC@lboro.ac.uk Website: www.lboro.ac.uk/wedc

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