report
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Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, UN Environment Programme, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Introduction
Disasters and conflicts can generate large quantities of solid and liquid waste that threaten public health, hinder reconstruction and impact the environment. Disaster waste (DW) can be generated by the actual disaster and later during the response and recovery phases.
Public health risks can arise from: direct contact with waste accumulated in the streets, hazardous wastes such as asbestos, pesticides, oils and solvents, and indirectly from vectors such as flies and rodents, and from postdisaster collapse of unstable structures.
