Disaster Waste Management and Community Engagement
(2024) VBRM15 20241Division of Risk Management and Societal Safety
- Abstract
- Disasters can generate up to fifteen times the annual rates of waste generated by the impacted communities and overwhelm the capacities of waste management systems. Disaster waste influences almost every aspect of response and recovery, is risky, and can be time-consuming and costly to clean-up. Disaster waste management (DWM) is, therefore, a key, and often neglected step for response and recovery. Research gaps show that DWM, particularly its social and organisational aspects, remains a largely unexplored topic. This research aims to fill these gaps by exploring the potential of engaging the affected communities in DWM for better efficiency. By conducting a scoping study of the existing DWM and comparing the theoretical results to the... (More)
- Disasters can generate up to fifteen times the annual rates of waste generated by the impacted communities and overwhelm the capacities of waste management systems. Disaster waste influences almost every aspect of response and recovery, is risky, and can be time-consuming and costly to clean-up. Disaster waste management (DWM) is, therefore, a key, and often neglected step for response and recovery. Research gaps show that DWM, particularly its social and organisational aspects, remains a largely unexplored topic. This research aims to fill these gaps by exploring the potential of engaging the affected communities in DWM for better efficiency. By conducting a scoping study of the existing DWM and comparing the theoretical results to the practice using data from 9 semi-structured interviews, information was collected, analysed and interpreted. The complexity of DWM is portrayed through state-of-the-art findings and the many determinants of DWM, dilemmas present in the field and current debates in academia and practice. This serves as a base for exploring the potential of community engagement and its role in DWM. Based on the results, communities play a diverse role, from affecting how regular pre-disaster waste is treated, thus preventing the piling up of the mixed waste that aggravates the DWM, to participating in planning, decision-making, information sharing and trainings. The study contributes to the general knowledge in this emergent field, provides a base for further localised research and offers practical implications for policy-makers and organisations working with communities as to how to best involve them in DWM. (Less)
- Popular Abstract
- Managing disaster waste is a critical step in helping communities recover and return to normal life. Disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes or tsunamis can strike hard, leaving behind massive amounts of waste—debris from buildings, damaged infrastructure, trees and more. This volume of waste can overwhelm local systems, creating health risks and environmental hazards, if not dealt with properly. Therefore, disaster waste management, aiming to ensure that waste is handled not just quickly but also safely for people and the environment, is a crucial step in disaster recovery.
This thesis explores how affected communities can play a key role in supporting disaster waste management efforts. While governments and organisations often lead these... (More) - Managing disaster waste is a critical step in helping communities recover and return to normal life. Disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes or tsunamis can strike hard, leaving behind massive amounts of waste—debris from buildings, damaged infrastructure, trees and more. This volume of waste can overwhelm local systems, creating health risks and environmental hazards, if not dealt with properly. Therefore, disaster waste management, aiming to ensure that waste is handled not just quickly but also safely for people and the environment, is a crucial step in disaster recovery.
This thesis explores how affected communities can play a key role in supporting disaster waste management efforts. While governments and organisations often lead these processes, involving local people can significantly enhance the efficiency of disaster waste management, especially in places where official support may be limited.
The findings show that community members can be helpful in pre-disaster time by preventing the waste from mixing and piling up, preparing for cleaning up the debris later as well as in post-disaster settings by participating in the actual clean up and spreading the word about the recycling rules. Having pre-existing solid waste management systems in place play a crucial role in how well disaster waste is handled. Other factors like capacities but also types of affected houses, have also an impact on handling disaster waste. Additionally, a dilemma between quickly removing waste and adhering to environmental standards often paralyses the waste managers. While rapid removal is necessary for public safety, recycling and proper disposal are important for long-term environmental health.
Somewhat surprisingly, disaster waste is not always just a burden; it can also be an opportunity. In situations of loss of jobs and homes, local people participating in clean-up efforts through "cash-for-work" programs, earn money while helping their community. Other people, engaged in informal waste picking might also find debris as a source of income, while helping to recycle valuable materials.
However, there are challenges to community involvement, such as a lack of training, equipment, and knowledge about processes as well as stress and emotional toll disasters can have on people. Addressing these barriers by providing the right tools, psychological support, and education can empower communities to take an active role in disaster recovery.
Involving local communities in disaster waste management can significantly improve the speed and efficiency of recovery efforts, as well as the feeling of unity. Communities can become valuable partners in managing disaster waste, making the recovery process faster, more cost-effective, and environmentally friendly. This research offers valuable insights for policy-makers, and other professionals working in disaster-prone countries, as to how to improve disaster waste management with the help of local people. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9176623
- author
- Meszarosova, Simona LU
- supervisor
-
- Mo Hamza LU
- organization
- course
- VBRM15 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- disaster waste management, debris, community, engagement, participation
- language
- English
- id
- 9176623
- date added to LUP
- 2024-10-21 14:56:30
- date last changed
- 2024-10-21 14:56:30
@misc{9176623,
abstract = {{Disasters can generate up to fifteen times the annual rates of waste generated by the impacted communities and overwhelm the capacities of waste management systems. Disaster waste influences almost every aspect of response and recovery, is risky, and can be time-consuming and costly to clean-up. Disaster waste management (DWM) is, therefore, a key, and often neglected step for response and recovery. Research gaps show that DWM, particularly its social and organisational aspects, remains a largely unexplored topic. This research aims to fill these gaps by exploring the potential of engaging the affected communities in DWM for better efficiency. By conducting a scoping study of the existing DWM and comparing the theoretical results to the practice using data from 9 semi-structured interviews, information was collected, analysed and interpreted. The complexity of DWM is portrayed through state-of-the-art findings and the many determinants of DWM, dilemmas present in the field and current debates in academia and practice. This serves as a base for exploring the potential of community engagement and its role in DWM. Based on the results, communities play a diverse role, from affecting how regular pre-disaster waste is treated, thus preventing the piling up of the mixed waste that aggravates the DWM, to participating in planning, decision-making, information sharing and trainings. The study contributes to the general knowledge in this emergent field, provides a base for further localised research and offers practical implications for policy-makers and organisations working with communities as to how to best involve them in DWM.}},
author = {{Meszarosova, Simona}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Disaster Waste Management and Community Engagement}},
year = {{2024}},
}