Waste Guide

7/30/2019 Waste Guide

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Planning

Centralised Building

Waste ManagementProgrammes in

Response to Large

Disasters


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IM

This booklet is a short guide or shelter practitioners with little experience o centralised disasterwaste settings, mainly in response to large disasters. It highlights key issues and priorities odisaster waste management in diferent settings. It provides simple examples o re-use and

recycling o building waste materials in temporary and permanent shelter programmes. Furtherreading and other sources o more in-depth inormation are provided.

This project is a collaboration between ProAct Network, Disaster Waste Recovery (DWR) andShelter Centre. It is unded via the Shelter Centre Conict and Humanitarian Fund Programme

supported by DFID.

This booklet can be downloaded rom www. proactnetwork.organd www.sheltercentre.org

...the re-use of materials salvaged from damaged buildings should bepromoted where feasible, either as primary construction materials (bricks or

stone masonry, roof timber, roof tiles, etc.) or as secondary material (rubble

for foundations or levelling roads, etc.).SPHERE Handbook, Shelter and Settlement, Standard 5: Construction, Guidance note 1, 2004

...the production and supply of construction material and the building

process minimises the long-term depletion of natural resources.SPHERE Handbook, Shelter and Settlement Standard 6: Environmental Impact, Key Indicator 3,

2004

The eventual discontinuation of [...] temporary settlements should bemanaged to ensure the satisfactory removal and re-use of all material or

waste that cannot be re-used or that could have an adverse eect on the

environment.

SPHERE Handbook, Shelter and Settlement Standard 6, Guidance note 5, 2004


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CKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Grateul acknowledgement is made to the ollowing

people who have provided content, comments and

support to this publication:

Joseph Ashmore, Maoya Bassiouni, Martin Bjerregard,

Tom Corsellis, Igor Fedotov, Heiner Gloor, DaveHodgkin, Orlando Hughes, Ivan Ivanov, Charles Kelly,

Manoucher Lolachi, Sajjad Malik, Paul Neale, David

Stone, Karen Walker, Grant Wroe-Street and Jake

Zarins.


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CONTENTS

im 1

cknowledgements 2

1. Introduction 4

2. Nature of Disasters and Scale of Operations 83. Building Waste Generation 10

4. Composition of Building Waste Materials 12

5. Priorities 14

6. Re-use, Recycling and Disposal 16

7. ccess and Transport 19

8. Waste Sorting 20

9. Impacts and Hazards 2410. Community Involvement and Communications 25

11. Responsibility and Legal Issues 26

12. Health and Safety 28

13. Capacity Building and Employement

Generation 31

14. Conclusions 32

ppendix 1 Waste Processing Flowchart 33

ppendix 2 Re-use and Recycle Potential 34

ppendix 3 Waste Management Plan 38

References 41

Useful websites 42Photo Credits 43

3


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Waste created in adisaster poses signicant

challenges to relief and

recovery operations and

a rapid return to a normalsituation.

1. INTRODUCTION

Ater a disaster or conict, the rst priority is to meet

the urgent survival needs o the afected population.Oten this includes the provision o emergency

ood, water and sanitation, as well as shelter and

medical care. However, the timely and appropriate

management o waste generated during a disaster can

also quickly become a major concern, oten adding to

problems already aced by afected populations.

Waste created in a disaster poses signicant challenges

to relie and recovery operations and a rapid returnto a normal situation. Disaster debris needs to be

removed rom roads, homes and public acilities

beore survivors can begin to rebuild their lives and

livelihoods. Let uncollected and unmanaged, such

waste can hinder emergency response operations and

create additional public health and environmental

risks.

This booklet outlines the basic principles o centralisedbuilding waste management programmes, including

some key issues that shelter practitioners may

encounter. It also identies potential or the re-use

o certain building waste materials in emergency,

temporary or permanent shelter construction

programmes or afected populations.

The booklet ofers a range o practical, proven

advice and guidance and outlines possible contentor a waste management plan (Appendix 3) to help

practitioners respond in the rst instance.


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Disaster debris is oneof the rst sources of

emergency shelter and

energy.

In most cases, shelterpractitioners will be

involved in supporting the

activities of the aected

populations.

The composition ofbuilding waste varies

according to location,

local building practices,

context and type of

disaster.

1.1 DISSTERS ND WSTE

Debris created in a large scale disaster poses signicant

challenges to relie and recovery operations. Lack

o waste management ater a disaster can have theollowing negative impacts on afected populations

and the environment:

hindering access, reconstruction and

rehabilitation activities;

encouraging uncontrolled dumping;

public health risks; and

hazardous waste risks to peoples health and the

environment.

Yet, i in the haste to recover, disaster debris is dis-

posed o improperly, it will cause uture hardships or

the disaster-afected population.

Waste rom demolition, reconstruction and

rehabilitation o damaged buildings is one o the mostvoluminous types o waste generated by a disaster.

Building waste, however, has the potential to be a

valuable resource. Its use in emergency shelter and

reconstruction eforts can contribute to a reduction

in natural resource extraction. Labour intensive public

works clean-up programmes can assist afected

communities in their post-disaster recovery.

At the same time, disaster debris is one o the rstsources o emergency shelter and energy. In addition,

most disaster debris has intrinsic value to the owner

and considerable use in the recovery efort. Simply

collecting and disposing o all debris without taking

these actors into account will make the recovery

process more costly and more dicult than i the

debris is transormed into a positive contribution to

recovery.


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CSE STUDIES

Case Study 1Japan, 1995

The Hanshin-Awaji earthquake on 17

January 1995 in Kobe destroyed more

than 192,000 buildings as well as roads

and railways. The quantity o demolitionwaste generated rom the site clearing

works was estimated at more than

15,000,000m3.

The majority o the waste was removed

to landll or used or land reclamation in

Osaka bay. Only a minor proportion was

recycled. This resulted in the demolition

waste taking up valuable municipal andhousehold waste landll space, with

resulting negative impacts on the citys

solid waste management systems.

Case Study 2Mexico, 2007

The State o Tabasco, Mexico, was hit by

ooding in October 2007. Over 920,000

people were displaced and over

245,000 homes were afected. A largepercentage o the generated waste was

demolition waste.

Existing waste management services

were not able to deal with the disaster

waste arising rom the ood event and

subsequent recovery phase. A majority

o the waste was removed to uncon-

trolled temporary storage areas causingenvironmental and public health risks.


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Case Study 3The Maldives, 2004

Following the Indian Ocean tsunami

in 2004, approximately 290,000m3 o

demolition waste, combined with an

estimated 50,000m3 o household andother waste, was generated in the Mal-

dives.

The waste was disposed o in uncontrol-

led dump sites and in shallow coastal

waters of beaches. This led to increased

health risks through contact with de-

composing wastes. There was also a risk

o groundwater contamination throughheavy metals leaching through soils.

Case Study 4Kosovo, 1999

During the 1999 war in Kosovo, consi-

derable damage was caused to buil-

dings and structures across the country.

More than 120,000 housing unitswere damaged in 29 municipalities. It

was roughly estimated that the waste

rom damaged buildings and struc-

tures reached a magnitude o 10 million

tonnes.

Through a DANIDA unded environ-

mental programme, the recycling o

building waste was integrated intothe reconstruction work, with recycled

materials being used in new roads and

buildings.


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2. NTURE OF DISSTERSND SCLE OF OPERTIONS

The type and composition o waste varies according to the

location, type and scale o disaster, as illustrated below.

Shelter practitioners may be expected to contribute to

operations on diferent levels. In rare, but welcome, cases they

may be involved in the design o a waste management plan with

government ministries or local and international specialists.

In most cases, however, they will be directly involved in

supporting the activities o the afected populations.

Conict

Post-conict building waste oten contains reduced amounts

o timber, urnishings and personal possessions since the

buildings will oten have been burned. In post-conict situations

there is, however, a risk o unexploded ordnances (UXO), minesand booby traps being present in the building waste. In such

instances, access should be restricted until proessionals have

rst cleared the area.

Banda Aceh


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Pakistan Sri Lanka

Disasters

The nature and scale o waste ollowing a disaster varies

considerably rom one situation to another. In post-tsunami

situations, or instance, the majority o solid building waste

could be washed out to sea by the receding waves. What may

remain, however, is a large volume o mud into which other

materials may be mixed, which may prove dicult or sorting.

In contrast, post-earthquake debris will oten have all o the

materials rom the buildings still present at the ootprint o

the building.


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In a disaster there are our phaseswhere building waste is likely to be

generated.

Disaster

Waste generated by buildings and

inrastructure destroyed by the disaster

itsel.

Search and Rescue

Partial demolition o buildings

to improve access and saety or

emergency response eforts.

Demolition

Demolition o buildings and inrastruc-ture to acilitate reconstruction.

Temporary or PermanentShelter Construction

Waste generated during

reconstruction.

Building waste occurs in every type odisaster and oten represents a large

percentage o the total waste.

The types o waste generated depend

on the nature and location o the disas-

ter, however they can broadly be cate-

gorised as ollows:

vegetation, soils and sediment, ash

and charred wood;

building waste;

domestic waste;

damaged household goods;

hazardous waste;

industrial waste; and

waste rom the emergency res-

ponse, e.g. packaging materials.

3. BUILDING WSTE GENERTION


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Table 1: Major categories o waste in selected events

Hurricane Earthquake Tornado Flood Fire Tsunami ConictCamp

closure

Vegetation a a a a a a

Soil andSediment a a a a

Ash andcharred

wood

a

Buildingwaste a a a a a a a a

Domesticwaste a a a a a a a

Damagedhouseholdgoods

a a a a a a a

Hazardouswaste a a a a a a

Industrialwaste a a a a a a

Relie

waste a a a a a a a a


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4. COMPOSITION OF BUILDINGWSTE MTERILS

The composition o building waste varies according to the location, local building

practices, and the context and type o disaster.

In rural Arica, local construction can be simple, with grass roos, a wood ramework

and mud brick walls.

More complex structures can include breeze blocks, iron sheeting, roong tiles,

rebar and timber.

Cte dIvoire

The Maldives


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In large cities, disaster waste may include a mix o building materials, white goods,

personal belongings and hazardous waste.

It is currently estimated that approximately 50 per cent o the worlds population

live in cities. UN Habitat orecasts that this percentage will increase in the coming

years. This means that a majority o waste rom uture disasters will occur in cities

and will have a typically urban waste composition.

The average composition o building waste in cities in developed countries is shown

below. In developing countries, the percentage o inert materials can reach up to 90

per cent o all building waste.

Estimated average composition o construction and demolition debris in urban settings

Mexico


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5. PRIORITIES

A timely and well planned long-term waste disposal

plan (see Appendix 3 or an example outline) cannot only protect health and saety, but also provide

economic benets through re-use, recycling and/or

sale o materials, according to local needs. It may also:

improve access or immediate relie eforts;

reduce health and environmental risks;

reduce land and landll space taken or dum-

ping;

provide materials or rehabilitation and recons-

truction;

help with income generation through recycling

and re-use;

be a positive action through community recy-

cling; and

reduce the need or double handling o wastes.

A sound and co-ordinated waste management plan

should assess all possible options or each type o

waste. Choose the most viable one on the basis o the

time, practical options, public health, as well as legal,

nancial and environmental considerations.

The management o disaster building waste should

be considered, rom day one, as part o an integraldisaster waste management plan or the afected

area.

The ollowing typical priorities are oten selected

or building waste in a post-disaster situation, with

additional comments with regards the handling o

building waste.

An adequately plannedlong-term waste disposal

plan can provide economic

benets through re-use,

recycling and/or sale ofmaterials, according to

local needs.

Recycling optionsdepend on local

technology and practices

and the market value forthe recycled material.

Direct re-use or resaleof building materials may

happen spontaneously

with local scavengers

salvaging any usable

parts.


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Table 2: Typical priorities or building waste in the post-disaster phases

DESCRIPTION Building Waste Comment

Priority 1

To remove the building waste

(debris) which is impeding

search and rescue operations

as well as the immediate, emer-

gency relie operations (i.e. the

providence o rst aid, ood,

shelter and water).

The site or dumping o the

waste should be selected with

consideration to uture use o

the waste and uture use o

the land on which dumped (i.e.

not to dump building waste on

someones agricultural land).

Priority 2

The removal o damaged buil-

dings and inrastructure which

could cause an immediate

threat to public saety such as

unstable structures and large

piles o unstable rubble in

urban, residential areas.

Handling requires attention to

Health and Saety or the wor-

kers. It also requires attention

to potential legal issues such

as access and ownership o the

waste. Site or dumping o the

building waste as above.

Priority 3

To remove uncontrolled dum-

ped building waste rom urban

areas since i let to lie will o-ten attract dumping o general

wastes (which will reduce the

opportunity to recycle the buil-

ding waste), which in turn can

lead to public health and envi-

ronmental risks.

Handling requires attention to

Health and Saety or the wor-

kers. It also requires attentionto potential legal issues such



building waste as above.

Priority 4

To remove building waste o

damaged buildings rom pri-vate and public plots o land to

enable reconstruction.

Handling requires attention

to Health and Saety or theworkers and there may be an

opportunity to sort the wastes

into recyclables beore trans-

port. It also requires attention

to potential legal issues such



building waste as or Priority 1.


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6. REUSE,RECYLING ND

DISPOSLA successul waste management plan

aims to maximise the re-use o recovered

materials, minimise the volume o waste

requiring ultimate disposal and improve

waste management in the longer term.

Where useul materials are recovered,the volume o the waste requiring

disposal is reduced while the impact o

rebuilding and recovery is diminished

through substituting raw materials with

the recycled materials.

A simplied owchart in Appendix

1 presents the typical steps in han-dling, treating and processing disaster

waste in an urban setting. Appendix 2

highlights some re-use and recycling

options or common materials.

Some options or disaster building

waste are described below.

REUSE

Direct re-use or resale o building

materials is a desirable solution. The

quality o the materials should always

be checked, while options will depend

on local practices and market value.

This oten happens spontaneously.

RECYCLING

Recycling o building waste materials

(or example, crushing concrete to re-

use as gravel) avoids using landll space,

reduces the need to quarry rocks and/orcut trees, can bring economic benets

and is generally good environmental

practice. Recycling options depend on

local technologies and practices and

the market value or recycled materials.

DISPOSL TO LND

Uncontrolled disposal can lead topublic health and environmental risks,

as well as a potential need to move the

waste again once the relie phase has

been completed. Disposing o large

volumes o building waste directly to

landll or dumpsites can use up space

better suited or non-recyclable wastes

and reduce the capacity o existing

municipal solid waste management, isuch a system exists.

REDUCE

Volume reduction o waste at source

is the most desirable long-term option

and should be an integral part o

every waste management plan. For

disaster building wastes, this may

involve reduced packaging or the (re)

construction materials.


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Re-use or recycling o building waste will depend on

the situation, context and demand or materials.

The most common post-disaster operation is the

recycling o concrete and bricks into a gravel or

aggregates material, where these can be used inlow strength concrete, as a sub-base or roads, as

an aggregate or building blocks and as ll under

oundations or on general reconstruction works.

In many cases, this can be an economically and

environmentally viable option ater a disaster as

there may be an increased demand or aggregate in

reconstruction and rehabilitation works.

Many countries have established quality standards orthe recycling o inert building waste into aggregates

or gravel or road base. Check local standards and

specications to ensure that they are met, or reer to

relevant national standards, i they exist.

The value o aggregates and the economic viability o

using recycled concrete, bricks or other building waste

materials depends on local demand, availability and

proximity o natural sources, the availability and costo sorting, crushing and grading recycled materials

and the cost o landll disposal.

The most commonpost-disaster operation is

the recycling of concrete

and bricks into a gravel or

aggregates material.

Recycling of a materialwill only be a feasible

option if it is economically

viable.

6.1 ECONOMICS OF WSTE RECYCLING

Recycling will only be easible i it is economically

viable. This will depend largely on the market value

o the material, once produced. In addition, other

actors may also have an inuence, such as:

enorcement o stopping illegal quarrying since

this would otherwise produce a competitive

material to that produced through recycling;

how easy it is to dump building waste as regards

costs and legality o dumping, i.e. i it is easier

to dump waste and buy cheap quarry materialsthen it may be dicult to support recycling rom

an economic viewpoint;


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Stacked cleaned bricks ready or re-use at the OxamGB re-use/recycling yard in Banda Aceh.

Building blocks or reconstruction purposes whichcan be produced rom recycled building waste,Pakistan.

Recycled aggregate rom crushed building waste inKosovo, as used or road construction or low strength

concrete oundations.

the ease with which the material can be recycled,

i.e. has it been mixed with household waste and

would the removal o non-recyclables be too

expensive and high risk to complete; and

the level o acceptance or the recycled materialinto the (re)construction market, i.e. will engi-

neers accept to use recycled materials compared

with natural quarry materials that they may be

more amiliar with?

Post-disaster reconstruction work normally places a

huge demand on quarry materials so there are typi-

cally good economic grounds or recycling buildingwaste. An exception might be in rural areas with good

access to unlimited quarries.

A long-term waste management plan (see Appendix

3) arising rom the post-disaster waste management

work may include a ocus on developing a market or

recycled materials where it does not exist. This can

be developed over time in collaboration with the

relevant authorities.


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Transportation ofthe building waste can

be done by a range of

methods, from wooden

carts pulled by animalsto heavy duty excavators,

trucks and skips.

In many cases it ispreferable to avoid the use

of heavy machinery.

7. CCESS NDTRNSPORT

Transporting waste is an important economic and

logistical actor to be considered, given the large

volumes that may need to be dealt with (see also

Section 11). Following a disaster, there is commonly a

shortage o vehicles and the road inrastructure may

have been damaged. This will have a considerable

impact on the selection o temporary waste storage

sites.

There are two main mechanisms or moving building

waste rom its source to the treatment site or

recycling, re-use or disposal:

push which entails paying an organisation i.e.

contractor or through cash-or-work to bring

the building waste to the treatment site; or

pullwhich entails paying a xed sum o money

or every load o building waste brought to thetreatment site, e.g. US$1 per wheelbarrow o

bricks.

One positive advantage o the pull mechanism is that

it allows or the local community to participate in the

building waste clean-up work and thus spreads the

economic benets o building waste work deeper

into the community.

An example o this was the Oxam GB re-use yard in

Banda Aceh ollowing the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

where the yard paid a set rate per type o building

waste delivered. The building waste was subsequently

cleaned and re-used/recycled in a variety o products.


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Islamic Relie project or the clearing andcleaning o building wastes (including

rough cut stones) and subsequent re-useor new oundations .

8. WSTE SORTING

The ollowing sub-sections present some typical

orms o handling and processing building waste mainly in connection with centralised waste

management programmes rom its location at

source to nal end-use or disposal.

The use o mechanical clearance should be avoided,

or careully controlled, in order to respect peoples

property and possessions and the act that human

corpses might be in the waste. A possible exception

to this might be the clearance o roads or emergencyaccess.

The main emphasis o recycling inert building waste

is to remove non-recyclable materials such as plastic,

timber, and household urnishings beore processing

begins. This results in a quality product which can

be used in road construction and or low strength

concrete.

Building waste will oten be mixed, or example

recyclable concrete and bricks may be mixed with

urnishings and other non-recyclable materials. In

order to realise the maximum value rom building

waste in terms o items or re-use and recycling, it

is typically necessary to sort through the waste to

extract the non-recyclables.

This can be done in a variety o ways, rom basic

manual sorting to mechanical means, the latter being

more appropriate or larger volumes.

Manual Sorting

Building waste can be strewn out on the ground and

manual labour used to pick out the non-recyclablesand other items. Remaining material such as concrete

and bricks can then be collected or processing.


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A mechanical grizzly to the let sorts ner materials rom theoversized concrete and bricks, ater which large items can beplaced on a picking station (to the right) or manual separation.

Typical conveyors with adjustable belt speed or use as a pickingstation.

A primary screening eedstock or the removal o soil raction andpossible contaminants plastics, paper, non-recyclables beorecrushing.

Primary Mechanical Sorting

Alternatively, a basic plant can be constructed

locally for the mechanical sorting of building

waste. This provides a higher throughputwith fewer personnel.

A mobile setup is also possible which allows

the equipment to be moved from one site to

another for on-site separation.

Picking stations are useful since they can be

linked to a slow moving conveyor belt from

which waste can be removed manually.These units vary in size from mobile picking

stations to larger central locations with a

large, stationary setup. Such belts enable up

to six people to safely work at the unit, three

on either side. The belt is normally used in a

raised position to allow the operators to work

at waist height.

Primary Screening Unit

Should a larger throughput be required, then

a more sophisticated primary screening unit

can be used to remove the ner soil fractions

from the building waste. These units are

highly mobile and only require a single axle

truck to move around the site.


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Locally manuactured mobile crusher in a Pakistan quarry.

Crushing o building waste in Pakistan ollowing the 2005earthquake, using a small, mobile hand-ed crusher on tracks.

Crushing o building waste in Kosovo using a medium-sizedmobile crusher (yellow machine to the let) and a screeningunit or separation o the crushed material into three sizeractions (green plant to the right).

WSTE CRUSHING

Crushers can generally crush glass,

porcelain, granite, bricks, blocks, asphalt

and re-inorced concrete. Dependingon the location and context, a variety o

crushers are available, each suitable or

difering purposes and end-products.

They can range in size rom on-site

mobile crushers capable o processing

rom 45-400 tonnes per day to ull-scale

plants that can handle up to 500 tonnes

per hour.

Some commonly used crusher models

appropriate or post-disaster work

are described below. Note that or all

options there is also a solid second-

hand market or crushers and screeners.

One does, however, need to ensure that

the plant is delivered with adequate

guarantees, warranties and service

arrangements.

Locally Manufactured

Crushers

Many countries have an active quarry

industry so there may already be some

pre-existing facilities and services that

might be used to deal with certain typesof waste stream. It is also possible to have

locally manufactured small-scale crushers

produced to specication and used in

the post-disaster clean-up and recycling.

Discussions with manufacturers should

include consideration for the handling of re-

inforcement bars when crushing concrete,

as this often requires a larger aperture for

the outlet of the feed hopper.


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Small Mobile Crushers

Should locally manuactured crushers

not be available, there are several

options or the purchase o small,

mobile crushers which can be used inurban and rural areas.

These smaller crushers can be

transported by typical 4x4 vehicles

and are operated by remote control,

thus allowing access to even the

most rural areas o a disaster-afected

community. The output crushed

material is not suitable or engineered

roads or low strength concrete but can

be used or access road rehabilitation

or as general ll.

Medium Mobile Crushers

For larger quantities o building

waste, a medium-sized mobile plantcan be used, which would normally

eed straight into a screening unit or

the separation o the crushed material

into two or more size ractions. The

nal product size will depend on the

required use o the recycled material.

Medium-sized crushers or recycling

building waste will require anoverband magnet or the separation

o the re-inorcement bars rom the

crushed material.

Large Stationary Crushers

Although not typically used in post-

disaster work since the spread o

building waste in a geographic area

makes a mobile crushing solutionmore cost-efective rom a logistics

view, a stationary crushing unit can be

implemented i the quantity in an urban

area is signicant, i.e. more than one

million tonnes o building waste.

Stationary crushers and screening units

have a higher throughput than any othe mobile solutions. They do, however,

require a larger acility inrastructure or

recycling and stockpiling, or example,

and are more costly.

TIMBER ND OTHER WSTE

For timber and vegetal debris withinbuilding waste, grinders and shredders

can be used to reduce the volume o this

waste stream. It can then, or example,

be used as mulch in landscaping or or

compost.

For other waste streams not typically

directly recyclable or re-usable, the

norm is or these materials to bedisposed o at an authorised dumpsite

or landll. In some cases it may be

prudent to allow local communities

access to this waste stream under

careul working conditions to extract

any materials which they may nd o

use. One such example is plastic which

can be used to make products such asbags or sale in the local market.


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9. IMPCTS ND

HZRDS

Lack o waste management ater a disaster can have

the ollowing negative impacts on the afected

populations, and the environment. It may:

hinder access, reconstruction and rehabilitation

activities;

encourage uncontrolled dumping;

represent a continued and increased hazard and

public health risk; cause hazardous waste risks to health and the

environment; and

be detrimental to uture, normal waste opera-

tions.

The use o mechanised clearance should be avoided

or very careully controlled because o plot bounda-

ries, bodies in rubble and personal possessions. It is,

however, commonly used to re-open roads to allow

emergency access.

Uncleared waste may continue to represent a hazard

risk. Atershocks, or example, can urther destroy

buildings that have not been secured, while high

winds might lit uncleared debris such as iron shee-

ting into the air, which could be a potential threat to

people.

Uncleared waste or clearance operations themselves

can also impact on surace water drainage or sewage

and utilities inrastructure.

The use of mechanisedclearance should be

carefully controlled.

Uncleared waste canpresent continued or

increased hazard risks.


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Steel, bricks, timberand tiles are likely to

oer possibilities for

transitional shelter and

might be the startingpoint for reconstruction

or some form of revenue

generation.

Take steps to ensurethat debris items with

value remain accessible tothe original owner.

10. COMMUNITY

INVOLVEMENT ND

COMMUNICTIONSAs in all other areas, ater a disaster it is vital to

work with the afected population, local authorities,

competent authorities and local contractors on waste

management.

The rst people on the scene o a disaster are the a-

ected population. Most communities will have someorm o committee in place. Involving the community

will help identiy what normal practice is, develop pre-

erred options or waste collection, and develop pu-

blic health and other messages associated with waste

management. Strategies or disseminating public in-

ormation can include signs, posters, yers, and media

such as newspaper articles, radio announcements or

TV announcements, as well as public meetings.

Where the community is involved, waste sorting at

source will happen almost automatically. Key points

have been highlighted above.

Where there is no pre-existing disaster waste

management plan, the rst step is to establish a large-

scale public inormation plan on how to deal with the

large quantities o waste generated by the disaster.


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The rst people on thescene of a disaster are the

aected population.

Where the community isinvolved, waste sorting at

source will happen almost

automatically.

11. RESPONSIBILITY

ND LEGL ISSUES

Three sets o legal issues usually arise in disaster

debris management: value and ownership, access

and safety.

Value and ownership: Destroyed inrastructure is oten

the only resource let to afected amilies ollowing a

disaster, not only peoples personal possessions such

as urniture but also steel, bricks, timber and tiles. For

many, these ofer distinct possibilities or transitionalshelter and might even be the starting point or

reconstruction or some orm o revenue generation.

Special consideration might need to be given to

multiple owners in multi-storey buildings.

All disaster debris had some value beore the disaster,

some o which might still remain ater the event has

taken place. For instance, the owner o a damaged

building may want to retain ownership o the bricksbecause o their value in ofsetting a need to purchase

bricks with which to rebuild. It is not appropriate or

debris management operations to deprive an owner

o items which, while damaged by a disaster, are still

o some value. Special consideration might need to

be given to multiple owners in multi-storey buildings.

Debris management eforts should thereore take

steps to ensure that debris items with value remainaccessible to the original owner. I people are not

able to return to their ormer homes, then the owner

should be compensated at air market values

or the items which are taken and used or another

purpose, or example, bricks rom damaged buildings

being used or road sub-surace.

Addressing ownership and value issues needs to

be planned in advance o debris removal. Disastersurvivors will need to be consulted to the degree

possible.


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Legal actions by government authorities are also

needed to avoid disputes over ownership. This is

particularly the case where previous owners o di-

saster debris may have been killed during the di-

saster, or where clearance activities uncover objects

o economic possibly cash, gold or jewellery or

example or sentimental value.

The need to preserve plot boundaries as a starting

point or determining land rights and subsequent

reconstruction will require specic attention.

Local government authorities and disaster survivors

should be consulted on the necessary legal and so-

cial steps required to permit access to private pro-perty. These procedures should be in place beore

debris clearance begins, and include how to handle

valuables and personal possessions.

Access is also an issue when establishing tempo-

rary processing areas or permanent disposal sites.

For the latter, some level o environmental review

should rst occur ahead o the land being legalised

through the normal but expedited adminis-trative process. In the case o the ormer, tempo-

rary authorisation should be received rom the site

owner, which should speciy the condition o the

site beore use as well as what condition it should

be in when returned to the owner.

Saety issues are dealt with in the ollowing section.

Local governmentauthorities and disaster

survivors should be

consulted on the necessary

legal and social stepsrequired to permit access

to private property.


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12. HELTH ND

SFETY

Building waste generated by disasters can include

materials and wastes that are hazardous to human

health as well as the surrounding environment. These

require identication and special handling.

The need to preserve plot boundaries as a starting

point or determining land rights and subsequent

reconstruction will require specic attention.

Additional hazardous wastes such as oils, chemicals

and heavy metal containing items should be identied

and removed rom the waste.

In addition to actual waste materials, in post-conict

situations there is also the risk o UXO and mines

being present in the building waste. Co-ordination is

required with relevant and specialist organisations in

the eld to ensure that building waste is clear o such

ordnance and sae to handle.

Protective clothing should always be provided when

dealing with waste, particularly mixed waste streams.

This includes adapted ootwear hard boots to pre-

vent spikes entering the sole and minimise the risk

o harm rom heavy materials dropping onto eet

gloves, overalls and masks. Equipment such as sho-

vels, buckets, carts and skips should also be provided.

Where possible, people working with waste should

have access to changing and washing acilities.


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Case Study 5

Indian Ocean Tsunami

Ater the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, UNDP and its partners considered a numbero livelihood restoration and creation projects in waste management, as well as

opportunities or viable recycling business start-up. Projects included the ollowing:

composting projects to make organic ertiliser or rice padi and park

rehabilitation;

plastic processing acilities to make and sell plastic chips to recyclers;

provision o restored tsunami wood to urniture manuacturers;

wood-red brick kiln rehabilitation projects to make red bricks using tsunami

wood;

wood-red limestone kiln rehabilitation projects to make lime using tsunami

wood;

charcoal manuacture rom tsunami timber; and

provision o stone crushers to make secondary aggregate or use in brick

projects, concrete preparation and/or as a road base.

Those employed under a cash or work scheme were either pre-existing scavengers,people recruited or the project or those employed directly rom camps housing

some o the displaced people. The scheme tried to ensure that the most vulnerable

people rom within the communities were considered. Employment o women was

particularly encouraged. In rubble clearance and recycling activities, the programme

promoted gender-sensitive approaches in work and wage distribution. The

programme also sought to strengthen the long-term capacity o local government

on waste management through working with district sanitation departments.

Source: Tsunami Recovery Waste Management Plan


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Case Study 6

Sri Lanka

In a shelter programme or returnees in eastern Sri Lanka, the Norwegian ReugeeCouncil (NRC) encouraged beneciaries to re-use bricks and blocks or shelter

reconstruction.

Houses had been destroyed in the ghting and NRC was providing a small core

shelter that provided a 9m2 ull masonry room with an additional 9m2 o open, but

rooed, area which had oundations. Beneciaries provided inll or the raised oor

using rubble rom old houses. They could also use salvaged bricks/block to ll in the

walls or the open section o the house.


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13. CPCITY BUILDINGND EMPLOYMENT

GENERTIONAside rom voluntary participation within the

community, well-designed employment and cash or

work programmes can help support the overall clean-

up efort as well as provide income to vulnerable

populations who may have lost their employment as

a result o the disaster.

Immediate employment activities can be designed

to rehabilitate and improve access to public acilities,

inject cash into displaced populations who have lost

sources o income, and to reduce trauma among

victims through the provision o work.

Implementation o waste recycling and recovery

projects can restore livelihoods. Much o the waste

is recoverable and recyclable or use in rehabilitation

and reconstruction. Re-use o recycled timber,

concrete and bricks will reduce the need to cut trees

or new timber and quarry rock or use in concrete,

drainage, roads and ll.

Local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and

local companies involved in recycling and waste dis-

posal beore a disaster can be valuable collaborators

in the post-disaster management o debris. Using lo-

cal partners will acilitate operations and strengthen

local capacity to manage waste and debris in the

uture.

Well-designedemployment and cash

for work programmes

can help support the

overall clean-up eort aswell as provide income to

vulnerable populations

who have lost their

employment as a result

of the disaster.

Using local partnerswill facilitate operations

and strengthen local

capacity to manage

waste and debris in the

future.


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14. CONCLUSIONS

This guide does not attempt to address all aspects o this large

and complex topic. It is intended to highlight some key issues thatshelter specialists may encounter during diferent levels o disaster

and post-disaster operations.

Although building waste management may not seem like an

immediate concern during and ater a disaster, the large quantities

o waste oten generated at such times means that this issue needs

careul consideration.

To maximise the re-use o recovered materials, it can be useul

to minimise the volume o waste requiring ultimate disposal. It is

important that waste management is properly planned, organised

and monitored, Complex issues such as land rights, legal aspects,

saety concerns and the livelihoods o afected populations need to

be considered.

Further reerences and links are provided at the end o this document

or more in-depth inormation.


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PPENDIX 1

WSTE PROCESSING FLOWCHRT

This simplied owchart presents some o the typical steps in handling, treating

and processing disaster waste. It is based on the assumption that a centralised

waste disposal plan is in place. Each step can be carried out at the source, e.g. a

damaged building, or at an of-site processing or disposal site.


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PPENDIX 2

REUSE ND RECYCLE POTENTIL OFSTNDRD BUILDING MTERILS

MTERIL REUSE RECYCLE

Plastics Check local practices and demandor recycled plastic.

Check local practices and demandor recycled plastic.

WOOD

Timber Wood can be re-used or a varietyo diferent purposes, rangingrom low-quality, temporary

work like survey pegs and boxingor concreting to high-quality,permanent uses like oor boards,

beams and other architecturaleatures i the recovered material isin a suitable condition.

Depending on the type o disaster,

rotting, humidity, splitting, presenceo nails or screws can afect the

potential or re-use.

Untreated timber of-cuts can bechipped into mulch and used inlandscaping, animal bedding or

used as uel. Depending on thecontext, wood rom constructionand demolition waste competes

with orestry and manuacturingwood waste as an input orindustrial urnaces and boilers,

particularly in pulp and paper mills.

Bamboo Bamboo is requently used inlow-cost construction such ashuts and encing. During camp

closure, bamboo structures can bedismantled and transported or re-use or sale at a local market.

It can be afected by ungus indamp climates and attacked by

insects. Check the quality beorere-using or reselling.

Other uses include compost or chip,dry and use as uel.


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INERT MTERILS

Bricks / Blocks Bricks and blocks can be cleanedand re-used i their quality is

acceptable. They can be resold tothe community and / or re-used inreconstruction programmes. Thepresence o cement mortar or glues

can hinder re-use as they are unableto be cleaned of.

Diferent orms o brick can berecycled or re-use in reconstruction

programmes.Mud bricks degrade easily and canbe broken up by hand and used as

inll or latrines and trenches. Theycan also be crushed by hand andspread across the land.

Bricks can be crushed to a suitablesize and recycled as aggregate tobe used in concrete. They can be

broken to use as hardcore as sub-bases to concrete work. They canalso be broken or crushed as inll in

landscaping applications.

Concrete Damaged concrete cannot be

directly re-used.

During land rehabilitation ater

camp closure, concrete can becrushed by manual labour andre-used as ller or abandoned

latrine pits, drainage trenches andother surace irregularities. This alsoprovides local income.

Concrete can be crushed and

recycled as aggregate or hardcoreor building and road base materialor oundations

Concrete can be crushed manually;with a mobile crushing unit or

transported to a specialisedconcrete crushing plant. Location,volume o concrete waste, localdemand or aggregates and

availability o other types oaggregates are determining actorsin the choice o crushing method.

The presence o local quarries orriverbeds providing gravel couldmean that recycled aggregate is

not viable.Steel rebar may block crushing

machines i they are not designedto separate the steel rom theconcrete. Proper assessment must

take place to ensure no asbestos ispresent prior to crushing.


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sphalt Asphalt cannot be re-used withoutprocessing.

Asphalt is requently recycledduring normal road resuracing in

developing countries.

Commonly used asphalt recyclingequipment includes eed systemsadded onto a large xed asphaltproduction plant or small mobile

pieces o equipment or asphaltreheating.

Plasterboard Plasterboard is likely to be damagedduring a disaster and thereore

unsuitable or re-use.

Gypsum makes up approximately90% o the weight o a piece o

plasterboard. Gypsum can berecovered and used : in the manuacture o new

drywall; as an ingredient in the production

o cement;

or application to soils and cropsto improve soil drainage andplant growth;

an ingredient in the production oertiliser products;

an additive to compostingoperations.

However, this is unlikely in mostemergency responses.

ROOFING MTERILS

Roof thatching The type and quality o thatching

material can vary. It is prone todecay in damp conditions and canbe ruined by vermin. Thatched roos

are also very ammable. Thatching

is usually replaced once a year andis unlikely to be re-used or sold.

Thatching can be composted where

composting acilities are available.In the case o IDP or reugee campclosure, it can be spread on the

ground or ploughed into the soil

and let to decompose naturally.

Roong tiles I in reasonable condition, roongtiles can be re-used.

Recovered tiles can be crushed andused as aggregate, landscaping or

inll purposes. Check local marketor demand and prices.

Corrugated iron

sheets

I in reasonable condition, thesheets can be re-used. Howevercorrugated iron sheets can easily

corrode.

Scrap metal is a lucrative businessin most countries. Corrugated ironsheets can be sold and exported

to iron smelting plants. Check local

market or demand and prices.


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OTHER

Metals Demand or resale and recyclingo scrap metals is high in most

countries. Iron and steel are themost recycled materials worldwide.Steel is unique among majorconstruction materials in that it

always contains recycled content;it is completely recyclable at theend o its product lie and may berecycled without loss o quality. It

can be smelted and recycled.Check local demand and prices,which can vary according to

location.Steel rebar Rebar cannot be re-used or

structural purposes as it will havelost its main properties

In low cost shelter, rebar is oten

stripped by the resident populationand sold on local markets. Checklocal markets or demand and

prices.

The presence o rebar can

complicate the crushing oconcrete. Some specialisedcrushing machines have magnets

to automatically separate the steelrom the concrete. Others requireprior sorting.

Hazardous waste Hazardous materials shouldbe identied at source andimmediately separated rom the

rest o the waste stream to avoidcontamination.

Hospital waste, agriculture

related wastes (e.g. pesticides andertilisers), oil and oil contaminated

wastes should be identied assoon as possible and collected anddisposed o by trained personnel.

The recycling o hazardousmaterials should only beundertaken by trained proessionals

with appropriate protective gear.

The presence o asbestos should

be identied as soon as possible.

It should be separated rom othertypes o waste and collected and

disposed o by trained specialists.

Miscellaneous Electronic debris should beseparated rom other wastes. They

should be disposed o in speciallandlls, i available. Check localpractices.

White goods, such as rerigerators,stoves, washers and dryers should

be segregated and recycled, ipossible. Check local practices.


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PPENDIX 3

MIN ELEMENTS OF WSTEMNGEMENT PLN

The ollowing points summarise some key considerations in planning a debris

management programme. The planning should be done, where possible in

collaboration and agreement with other international organisations involved in

disaster response, the Emergency Shelter and/or WASH Cluster i applicable, local

authorities, local waste management service companies or organisations, local

NGOs and community-based organisations (CBOs).

1) ssess the post-disaster debris situation with relevantpartners and determine:

existing waste handling capacity;

types o debris;

presence o hazardous materials;

quantities (volumes) o materials;

whether or not there is an existing waste management plan; and

location o diferent types o materials houses, actories, public spaces and

so orth.

2) Understand the scope of debris management eorts whodoes what by:

consulting with clusters such as Emergency Shelter and WASH, i in place.

3) Determine legal requirements and social norms related toassessing private property and collecting debris:

who owns the waste?

who has liability?

are there any disaster exemptions?

site ownership issues.


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4) Determine whether waste processing will take place on-siteor whether it will be transported to a central processing site.

On-site processing should be used i most o the debris will be let or use by

the owner.

5) Determine whether processing will be done throughlabour-intensive methods, machine intensive methods or acombination of both.

Machine intensive methods are usually done of-site.

6) Consult with local authorities and disaster survivors oncompensation issues and how much and how compensationwill be paid.

7) Establish a protocol for handling valuables and personaleects collected.

8) Establish personnel and equipment requirements for debrisprocessing.

9) Dene management and reporting requirements for debriscollection and processing activities.

10) Identify specialists services if available procedures andlocations for handling and disposal of hazardous waste.

11) Develop a training plan for personnel involved in theoperation including:

handling o hazardous materials;

valuables and personal possessions; and

saety and any other skills required.


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12) Develop a budget covering:

labour;

equipment and machinery;

transport;

management tasks;

compensation requirements; and

saety requirements.

13) Develop a schedule covering the debris disposal operation.

14) Develop an exit strategy that includes:

realistic and veriable targets;

a transition to existing authorities, private sector waste management

organisations or local or international NGOs, depending on available capacities;

and

consideration o alternative approaches such as the establishment o a CBO

with project management responsibilities early in the project process.

15) Begin implementation.


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REFERENCES

Basnayake B., Chiemchaisri C., Visvanathan C. (2006) Clearing up ater the Tsunami

in Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Baycan, F and Petersen, M. (2002) Disaster Waste Management Paper at ISWA 2002

Annual Congress, Istanbul.

Corsellis, T. and Vitale, A. (2005) Transitional Settlement: Displaced Populations.

DWR / UNEP (2008) Disaster Waste Management Assessment Tskhinvali, South

Ossetia, Republic o Georgia.

GEIDE (2007) Dchets post-catastrophe - risques sanitaires et environnementaux.

NRC (2009) Camp Management Toolkit.

The SPHERE Project (2004) Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in

Disaster Response.

SRSA / DWR / PROACT (2008) Disaster Waste Management Assessment Tabasco,

Republic o Mexico.

UNDP (2005) Tsunami Recovery Waste Management Programme.

UNEP (2006) Environmental Considerations o Human Displacement in Liberia. A

Guide or Decision Makers and Practitioners.

UNEP/ ISWA/ DWR (2006) Pakistan Earthquake Disaster Waste Management Plan.

UNEP (2005) Maldives Post-Tsunami Environmental Assessment.

UNEP (1993) Sustainable building and construction: Facts and gures.

UNHCR (2005) Environmental Guidelines.

UNHCR (2007) Handbook or Emergencies.

UNOCHA / IFRC / CARE International (2009) Timber as a Construction Material in

Humanitarian Operations.

US EPA (1995) Planning or Disaster Debris.


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USEFUL WEBSITES

Aggregain Online Guide to Sustainable Aggregates: www.aggregain.org

Construction Waste Management in Sri Lanka: www.cowam-project.org

Disaster Waste Recovery homepage: www.disasterwaste.org

Groupe dExpertise et dIntervention Dchets Post-Catastrophe:

www.robindesbois.org/geide

International Society or the Environmental and Technical Implications o

Construction with Alternative Materials: www.iscowa.org/

International Solid Waste Association: www.iswa.org/web/guest/home

Online Guide to Drywall Recycling: www.drywallrecycling.com/

Recycling Construction Debris article: www.architectureweek.com/2001/0926/

environment_1-2.html

Shelter Centre website: www.sheltercentre.org

Swiss Resource Centre and Consultancies or Development: www.skat.ch/

Training Manual: Debris Management in Disaster Recovery: www.stopwaste.org/

docs/disaster_debris_management_training_manual.pd

UNEP Publications: www.unep.org/publications

Waste & Resources Action Programme. Tips and Suggestions or Uses o Recycled

Materials in Construction: www.wrap.org.uk/construction/index.html


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PHOTO CREDITS

Danish International Development Agency 7

Disaster Waste Recovery 8, 18, 22, 23Golder Associates 8, 18, 23

Islamic Relie Pakistan 21, 23

NRC (J. Zarins) 31

Oxam 18

Portall 22

ProAct Network (K.Walker, J. Godson) 6, 12, 13

UNDP 8, 23

UNEP 6, 7


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Rue de Cornavin 111201 Geneva

Switzerland

Tel: +41 22 755 3777

Fax: +41 22 755 3779Email: [email protected] page: www.sheltercentre.org

Les Deux CedresAvenue Alred-Cortot 7D

CH - 1260 NyonSwitzerland

Tel: + 41 22 362 53 84Fax: +41 22 362 53 85Email: [email protected] page: www.proactnetwork.org

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