Post-disaster Waste Management Research Articles

Developing capacity for post-typhoon disaster waste management in Lautoka, Fiji, and Makati, Philippines

In recent years, Asia and the Pacific have been ravaged by strong typhoons that caused widespread destruction. The powerful winds from these typhoons ripped off roofs, windows, doors and walls from houses, and destroyed trees and other vegetation, leaving a vast amount of wooden, metallic, plastic, and glass debris and waste scattered across a wide area. Proper management of disaster waste is a critical task during the initial phase of disaster recovery. It is essential for coastal cities that are frequently affected by typhoons to have adequate capacity for post-disaster waste management. This capacity development project aimed to contribute to this end by providing appropriate knowledge and training to government and non-government stakeholders. The project was implemented in Lautoka City, Fiji and Makati City, Philippines, with the support of four prominent universities. In total, six training sessions were conducted under the project. The primary outputs of this project are the disaster waste management contingency plans of the two participating cities. The project team disseminated information about the capacity development project through the project website and through presentations in academic conferences, webinars, workshops, training, non-academic conferences, and radio guest appearances.

Mapping groundwater resilience to climate change and human development in Asian cities

In recent years, Asia and the Pacific have been ravaged by strong typhoons that caused widespread destruction. The powerful winds from these typhoons ripped off roofs, windows, doors and walls from houses, and destroyed trees and other vegetation, leaving a vast amount of wooden, metallic, plastic, and glass debris and waste scattered across a wide area. Proper management of disaster waste is a critical task during the initial phase of disaster recovery. It is essential for coastal cities that are frequently affected by typhoons to have adequate capacity for post-disaster waste management. This capacity development project aimed to contribute to this end by providing appropriate knowledge and training to government and non-government stakeholders. The project was implemented in Lautoka City, Fiji and Makati City, Philippines, with the support of four prominent universities. In total, six training sessions were conducted under the project. The primary outputs of this project are the disaster waste management contingency plans of the two participating cities. The project team disseminated information about the capacity development project through the project website and through presentations in academic conferences, webinars, workshops, training, non-academic conferences, and radio guest appearances.

Where are demolition wastes going: reflection and analysis of the February 6, 2023 earthquake disaster in Turkey

On 6 February 2023 at 09.17 BST, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck the southern border of Turkey near Syria, causing massive casualties and building damage. Badly damaged buildings need to be demolished, bringing a large amount of demolition waste, which, if not properly disposed of, can be a burden on the environment. In this study, damage to buildings in the quake-hit areas of Turkey is investigated, including reinforced structures and masonry structures. Based on this, the amount of demolition waste produced and the proportion of waste components are estimated roughly. Ultimately, the paper puts forward the strategy of recycling demolition waste after the earthquake and the application scenario planning of recycled products. Conclusively, the amount of demolition waste generated after the earthquake ranges from 450 to 920 million tons, providing new ideas for post-disaster reconstruction work. Besides, post-disaster waste management, safe demolition and environmentally friendly disposal and recycling technologies for demolition and construction wastes will bring good economic and environmental benefits, help the reconstruction of disaster areas, and provide a model for the resource utilization of construction and demolition waste worldwide.

Multi-objective two-stage stochastic optimization model for post-disaster waste management

Abstract Post-disaster waste management is one of the most crucial tasks in the recovery phase of the disaster cycle, and it was created to assist affected communities in returning to a stable state following a disaster. To develop an efficient post-disaster waste management strategy, this study presents a multi-objective two-stage stochastic mixed integer linear programming model for post-disaster waste management. The proposed mathematical model was developed based on a mixed strategy of on-site and off-site waste separation in the supply chain. This study aims to minimize not only the total cost and the environmental impact to provide waste flow decisions and choose collection and separation sites, recycling sites, landfill sites, and incineration sites throughout the supply chain under the uncertain situation. To solve a multi-objective problem, a normalized weighted sum method is used to find the solution. A numerical case based on realistic data is presented to validate and verify the proposed model. Based on the numerical example, the results demonstrated that the implementation of the mixed strategy for waste separation with the consideration of uncertain situations can reduce the total cost, balance the environmental impact, and determine the unexpected situation in the post-disaster waste supply chain efficiently.

A System Dynamics Modelling Approach for Electronic Waste Recycling after Floods in Jakarta and New Orleans

Due to climate change, flood-related disasters are expected to increase. Floods generate enormous amounts of waste, including electronic waste (e-waste). E-waste should be recovered not only because it can have detrimental effects on human health and the environment but also because of the valuable metals contained in it. In this study, a system dynamics model based on current practices and waste management was established using Vensim to determine the revenue that can be generated by e-waste recycling after floods in two socio-geographic and economic contexts: Jakarta and New Orleans. At current recovery rates, the formal systems employed for recovering valuable materials would yield 8% (€58 million) and 14% (€80 million) of the potential yield for the Jakarta and New Orleans models, respectively. Moreover, the model estimated that informal e-waste recycling would yield €1.2 billion. The model also highlighted several problems encountered in post-disaster waste management in both scenarios, such as low capacities of temporary storage sites, increased landfilling rates, low yields of recovered e-waste components, and limitations on the transportation of waste. For optimizing the recovery of valuable metals, regulations addressing e-waste must be implemented more thoroughly, and post-disaster waste management guidelines must be revised to contextually address flood disasters. When more data are available, an improved model can be established and used as a basis for policymaking to improve the infrastructure of solid waste management to optimize e-waste recovery.

Post-disaster waste management with carbon tax policy consideration

Generally, the activities of post-disaster waste management usually produce high carbon emissions, which can cause damage to the environment. However, the issue of carbon emissions in the post-disaster waste supply chain is neglected. Hence, this paper aims to propose a mixed-integer linear programming model to address the post-disaster waste processing supply chain network design problem with the consideration of a carbon tax policy. The proposed model is developed based on the concept of a mixed strategy of waste separation to reduce carbon emissions. Not only the carbon emission perspective but also the financial perspective for post-disaster waste supply chain management is determined in the objective function. The proposed model was verified and validated by employing a numerical example based on realistic data. Based on the numerical example, the results show that the implementation of a carbon tax policy with the mixed strategy for waste separation can reduce carbon emissions in the post-disaster waste supply chain efficiently.

Evaluation of Post-Earthquake, Tsunami, and Liquefaction Disaster Waste Management in Palu

The Central Sulawesi region is known as the meeting place for three of the world's main tectonics. As a result, the region is prone to natural disasters, especially those caused by the movement of these plates, which has prompted a shift in the Palu-Koro Fault. This also caused the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that devastated the coastal area of Palu Bay on September 28, 2018. Post-disaster waste management is one of the most important operational management systems ever developed to help affected communities and restore conditions to a stable situation after the disaster. In this study, the estimation of disaster waste generation was carried. In addition, an evaluation of disaster waste management was carried out as well as the formulation of disaster waste management mitigation, particularly earthquake, tsunami and liquefaction disasters. The estimated generation of construction disaster waste is 80,894,4 m3 and non-construction waste is 52,305.6 m3. Disaster waste management evaluation indicate that the lowest value in the evaluation aspect is in the aspect of community participation (30%) and the Financing aspect (37.5%). The establishment of a disaster waste management system will focus on the preparation of technical guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on disaster waste management.

A Suggestion of a Procedural Method for the Management of Post-War Waste

The increasing number of disasters (natural or man-made) worldwide has made post-disaster waste management an essential aspect of disaster recovery. This is obvious in Iraq where the Iraqi government faces an important challenge regarding the events of 2014 (ISIS gang conflict) and the accumulation of huge volumes of construction and demolition (C&D) waste resulting from military operations and terrorist destruction. Field surveys by the specialist teams estimated the amount of waste at about 10 million tons in the Nineveh governorate only, much of which comprises potentially useful materials that could be reused or recycled in the reconstruction process. This paper investigates the obstacles to the sustainable management of such waste in the Nineveh governorate. A pilot questionnaire survey of 76 experts working in the waste management sector was carried out to identify the obstacles to the sustainable management of accumulated waste in the Nineveh governorate. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS version 23.0. Based on the identified obstacles, a procedural method of managing post-war waste that accumulated in Iraq has been created. The paper illustrates several conclusions in the strategic, economic, social, and environmental sectors to address identified gaps in sustainable waste management in Iraq. It is hoped that this study’s results will support post-disaster sustainable development goals in Iraq.

Location and allocation optimization for integrated decisions on post-disaster waste supply chain management: On-site and off-site separation for recyclable materials

Post-disaster waste management is one of the most important operational management systems that have been developed to help affected communities recover and restore conditions back to a stable situation after a disaster. An effective post-disaster waste management strategy still needs to be further developed for optimum efficiency. Hence, this paper aims to present the developed system of post-disaster waste supply chain management strategy (PWSCM) along with the integrated decision-making system for the on-site and off-site separation of recyclable materials. A mathematical model of mixed-integer linear programming is proposed in which the objective aims are to minimize the financial effects through assessment of the fixed costs and variable costs, RSR (Reduction, Separation and Recycling) costs, and the penalty costs associated with the negative environmental and human effects of post-disaster scenarios and to maximize revenue from any sellable waste. The proposed model considers all networks in the debris operation process that consists of waste collection and separation sites, processing and recycling sites, disposal sites and market sites. Moreover, the RSR technologies have also been considered in the proposed model. Due to the limitations of competence of an exact solution method for such a large problem, this study also presents two effective metaheuristic approaches with particular encoding and decoding schemes; Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Differential Evolution (DE) to solve PWSCM. Finally, the numerical tests for PWSCM improvement will be discussed. The performance of the proposed PWSCM improvement system was superior to both the on-site separation model and the off-site separation model.

The adoption of the industrial ecology principles in post-disaster waste management

A global increase in the occurrence of natural disasters is documented. In the management of such events, waste and debris removal and treatment methods are important. Indeed, a sustainable management of the event's aftermath should include whether and how these materials can be recyclable or recoverable. The economic side obviously plays also a major role. This paper builds on a flood experience in Italy to discuss the application of the principles of industrial ecology in post-disaster waste management. More specifically it focuses on the management of materials deposited by floodwaters. This paradigm shows how they can be treated innovatively and sustainably. Finally, a carefully designed municipal/regional plan could help tackle issues, such as the materials surplus that would need to be inserted in already-existing eco-industrial supply chains and the capacity of the territory to return to its status prior to the disaster.

The adoption of the industrial ecology principles in post-disaster waste management

A global increase in the occurrence of natural disasters is documented. In the management of such events, waste and debris removal and treatment methods are important. Indeed, a sustainable management of the event's aftermath should include whether and how these materials can be recyclable or recoverable. The economic side obviously plays also a major role. This paper builds on a flood experience in Italy to discuss the application of the principles of industrial ecology in post-disaster waste management. More specifically it focuses on the management of materials deposited by floodwaters. This paradigm shows how they can be treated innovatively and sustainably. Finally, a carefully designed municipal/regional plan could help tackle issues, such as the materials surplus that would need to be inserted in already-existing eco-industrial supply chains and the capacity of the territory to return to its status prior to the disaster.

Adoption of post-disaster waste management plan into disaster management guidelines for Malaysia

Malaysia is one of the Asian countries which are prone to disaster: flooding is one of the natural disasters that are becoming more common in Malaysia every year, threatening life. Disaster waste management is, therefore, one of the most important issues to address. Furthermore, as urbanization, population growth, and economic development increase, this leads to larger quantities of disaster waste requiring more systematic management, and this is becoming one of the most critical environmental issues to be tackled. This research aims to highlight possible entry points for waste management adoption into disaster management guidelines for Malaysia. Furthermore, the extent of disaster waste affecting the environment will be investigated, to identify the needs of waste management to be adopted as disaster management guidelines. Ultimately, the research intends to propose the adoption of a post-disaster waste management plan into the existing disaster management guidelines in Malaysia. In fact, an act and policies with regard to waste management have already been enacted and developed, but none of them focuses on disaster waste. Comparative studies will be conducted to benchmark waste management practices in other countries, to produce a systematic plan for post-disaster waste management in Malaysia. Qualitative research design methods will be rigorously applied by reviewing existing studies and carrying out semi-structured interviews. This paper presents an overview of disaster waste management, outlining the issues and challenges encountered during managing disaster waste, exploring existing guidelines on waste management, and discovering ways to improve the current situation by comparing it with the disaster waste management planning of more experienced countries, such as Japan, the USA (North Carolina), and Indonesia.

Application of boolean logic and GIS for determining suitable locations for Temporary Disaster Waste Management Sites

Temporary Disaster Waste Management Sites (TDWMS) play a very important role in post disaster waste management. The selection of candidate TDWMS can be regarded as a land suitability analysis problem. This article reviews literature related to waste management treatment facilities to identify the common processes and methods. Previous studies indicate that identifying and determining weighting criteria as well as mapping and overlapping standardised layers are the four main steps in this process. In this study, ArcGIS was used to conduct the land suitability analysis and the Modelbuilder function was applied to build the analysis model. In addition, Boolean logic was used to standardise the criteria map layers. A total of 45 candidate sites were selected within the case study area. According to the analysis, the distance from ground water, drinking water resources, and public water supplies are the most sensitive criteria.

Capacity building for post disaster construction and demolition waste management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a theoretical framework for capacity building in post disaster construction and demolition (C & D) waste management at a national level to address the identified capacity gaps in managing disaster waste resulting from natural hazards. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered through pilot interviews, case studies and expert opinion surveys representing government, non-government and other sector organisations involved in post disaster waste management. Findings – The study revealed unavailability of a single point of responsibility and provision for disaster waste in existing policies and capacity constraints in prevailing peace time solid waste management practices which were identified as major capacity gaps. Establishment of a regulatory body and enforceable rules and regulations with necessary levels of capacities was identified and presented in a theoretical framework comprising of seven identified areas for capacity building in post disaster waste management. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to disaster C & D waste as debris generated from totally or partially damaged buildings and infrastructure as a direct impact of natural hazards or from demolished buildings and infrastructure at rehabilitation or early recovery stages. Waste generated during reconstruction phase of post disaster management cycle is not considered as disaster C & D waste for purposes of this study. Originality/value – The research enabled analysis of existing capacities and presents approaches for capacity building for identified gaps in post disaster C & D waste management to attain sustainable post disaster waste management for future resilience.

An evolutionary multi-objective optimization approach to disaster waste management: A case study of Istanbul, Turkey

Disasters can lead to a high risk of casualties and structural damages. Destructive disasters, such as earthquakes, may cause a great amount of disaster waste to be controlled. Reusing and recycling materials in the debris can decrease the need for re-construction resources. These reusable or recyclable materials can be processed in temporary storage sites like the ones suggested by the United Nations and the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines on disaster waste management. The objective of this paper is to build a framework for determining the locations of temporary storage facilities, and includes planning for the collection and transportation of disaster waste in order to manage it in an environmentally sustainable way. In this study, a multi-objective optimization model is developed and solved with an evolutionary elitist multi-objective optimization algorithm (NSGA-II). As a city prone to high earthquake damage, Istanbul has been selected for the illustration of the proposed framework. The objectives of the model are cost minimization and minimization of risk from hazardous waste exposure. The study integrates disaster loss estimation methods with post-disaster waste management.

Capacity building for post disaster waste management: construction and demolition waste

Though increasing nature of impacts from disasters has made post disaster management a significant area of concern, management of disaster waste is identified as an area of least concern. It presents momentous challenges for those with inadequate capacities due to large volumes and hazardous constituents created, particularly in developing countries. This is equally applicable to Sri Lanka which was severely affected by the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 and from three decades of civil war. In this context, it is vital to explore capacities which need to be enhanced for post disaster waste management. Accordingly, this study focuses on identification of existing capacities of post disaster waste management with special emphasise on Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste at national level entities in Sri Lanka. Disaster C&D waste comprises of waste such as debris generated from totally or partially damaged buildings and infrastructure as a direct impact of disasters or from demolished buildings and infrastructure at rehabilitation or early recovery stages. Literature revealed that after the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, collected disaster waste containing a considerable proportion of C&D waste was not recycled or reused at its optimum capacity in Sri Lanka, instead disposing it at landfill sites. Initially, a literature review and document survey was conducted on capacity building with special emphasise on post disaster waste management to identify capacity building principles, strategies, evaluation measures and challenges, if there are any. Pilot interviews were conducted to identify current post disaster waste management practices in Sri Lanka. Multiple case studies and expert interviews were subsequently conducted to gather primary data on existing capacities of post disaster waste management in Sri Lanka. Three case studies which included fourteen individuals and seven experts representing government and non governmental organisations and other sector entities were selected for data collection. Semi-structured interviews were conducted as the main data collection method and code based analysis and cognitive mapping were used to analyse collected data. Results revealed existing capacities, capacity gaps and factors affecting capacity building for post disaster waste management including: skills and confidence building, links and collaborations, continuity and sustainability, research and development, communication and coordination, organisational implementations and investments in infrastructure. Approaches for enhancing capacities in post disaster waste management were identified. They include establishment of a regulatory body and enforceable rules and regulations, promotion of holistic approaches for training and development focussing on indigenous and sustainable methods, development of formal and transparent procedures to establish linkages and collaborations, create awareness on sustainable, environmentally friendly and culturally supportive techniques on disaster waste management. These approaches were identified with the aim to contribute towards achieving sustainable post disaster C&D waste management.

POST-DISASTER CONSTRUCTION & DEMOLITION DEBRIS MANAGEMENT: A SRI LANKA CASE STUDY

The increasing nature of impacts from disasters has made post disaster management a key area of concern. The management of disaster waste is revealed as an area of least concern yet it presents momentous challenges for those with inadequate capacities due to the large volume and hazardous constituents created, specifically in developing countries. This paper aims to report the findings of post-disaster waste management strategies and challenges identified in Sri Lanka. Data was gathered through interviews with government and non-government organisations at national and local level. The lack of an established hierarchy and single point of responsibility, mandatory and enforceable rules and regulations; inadequate capacity and funds, and lack of communication and coordination were identified as gaps in post-disaster waste management. This enabled the identification of post-disaster waste management strategies, highlighting gaps that need to be addressed for effective C&D debris management for Sri Lanka's future resilience.

POST DISASTER WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: CASE OF SRI LANKA

Disasters cause substantial damage around the world. This causes serious environmental and economic burden on normal living conditions, reconstruction and general waste collection processes. Within this context, waste management has emerged as a critical issue in responding to a disaster. Thus, this paper addresses post disaster waste management strategies adopted in developing countries and applicability of best global practices in respect of challenges encountered. Comprehensive literature review and field survey among national level institutes in Sri Lanka were conducted to gather information and semi‐structured interviews were used as a method of data collection. The findings revealed that strategies, issues and challenges are varying according to type of disaster, magnitude, location, country etc. Further, poor implementation of prevailing rules and regulations; poor standards of local expertise and capacities, inadequate funds, lack of communication and coordination are identified as key issues encountered. Santruka Stichines nelaimes visame pasaulyje pridaro daug žalos. Tai labai pasunkina aplinkosaugine ir ekonomine situacija iprastomis gyvenimo salygomis, atstatant aplinka ir vykdant bendruosius atlieku rinkimo procesus. Šiame kontekste atlieku tvarkymas išryškejo kaip esmine problema, reaguojant i stichine nelaime. Taigi šiame darbe nagrinejamos atlieku tvarkymo po stichiniu nelaimiu strategijos, taikomos besivystančiose šalyse, ir geriausiu pasauliniu praktiku taikymas, imantis kilusiu iššūkiu. Siekiant surinkti informacija, išsamiai apžvelgta literatūra ir tiesiogiai ištirtos Šri Lankos valstybines institucijos, o duomenims rinkti pasitelktas pusiau struktūriniu interviu metodas. Iš rezultatu aišku, kad strategijos, problemos ir iššūkiai skiriasi priklausomai nuo stichines nelaimes pobūdžio, masto, vietos, valstybes ir pan. Be to, nustatyta, kad pagrindines problemos yra prastas visuotiniu taisykliu ir reglamentu taikymas, prasti vietines patirties standartai ir menkos galimybes, lešu trūkumas, komunikacijos ir koordinavimo trūkumas.