Disasters generate 15 years worth of solid waste in just days

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Disasters can typically generate up to fifteen years worth of a community's solid waste over a few days, with the potential to overwhelm day-to-day solid waste operations and to lead to years of disruption; FEMA estimates that debris removal accounted for 27 percent of their total disaster response costs for those U.S. disasters between 2002 and 2007; prolonged problems with the management of solid waste can lead to public and environmental health issues;  slow management of solid waste can also impede economic recovery by inhibiting rebuilding activities.

-- www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/waste-management-critical-natural-disaster-recovery

Read more in Charlotte Brown, “Disaster waste management: A review article,” Waste Management (21 February 2011) (doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2011.01.027 |)

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