Elsevier

Safety Science

Volume 30, Issues 1–2, October–December 1998, Pages 45-53
Safety Science

Article
Emergency construction waste management

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-7535(98)00032-0Get rights and content

Abstract

This paper presents observations and experiences of emergency construction and demolition (C&D) waste management following the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake on 17 January 1995 in Japan. The latest experiences of the demolition of war-damaged buildings and the recycling of rubble materials in the reconstruction of Beirut, Lebanon, and Mostar (Bosnia), will be mentioned briefly. The presentation will be followed by a survey of the general principles of disaster waste management and a presentation of options and barriers to recycling and re-use of materials, including an assessment of environmental and economic aspects.

Introduction

Waste control and management is one of the great challenges of modern society. Due to the lack of disposal sites and the limitation of natural resources, recycling of construction and demolition (C&D) waste has attracted considerable attention; much research and development work has been allocated to this subject (Lauritzen and Hahn, 1991–1992Lauritzen, 1994). Today, in most European countries, it is economically feasible to recycle up to 80–90% of the total amount of C&D waste, and most demolition and recycling technologies are generally easy to implement and control.

However, when a disaster strikes, especially in densely populated areas, huge amounts of construction waste and other kinds of wastes are suddenly produced, demanding immediate attention. First of all, emergency clearing and rescue of people trapped in destroyed houses and structures is urgently needed. Then, demolition and removal of waste must be undertaken as an important part of the disaster relief work (De Pauw and Lauritzen, 1994).

Referring to the list of natural and man-made disasters in Table 1, this paper presents observations and experiences of emergency C&D waste management following the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake on 17 January 1995 in Japan.

Section snippets

The great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake on 17 January 1995, Kobe, Japan

The great earthquake disaster that struck Japan's Hanshin-Awaji region on 17 January 1995 took the lives of more than 5400 people and injured approximately another 40,000 people. As the earthquake destroyed the entire social infrastructure of the city of Kobe and its surrounding areas, removal and disposal of earthquake waste became a key issue. The total amount of waste has been estimated at 15 million m3 (20 million tons). Full-scale reconstruction work was not possible until the waste had

The reconstruction of the central district of Beirut, Lebanon

In June 1994, demolition of buildings in Beirut began in order to implement the reconstruction work of Beirut central district (BCD). In July 1994, a study of C&D waste management was provided by Demex Consulting Engineers for the Lebanese company, Solidere, which is responsible for the reconstruction and development project of BCD. On this basis, a recycling plant was procured and established in the summer of 1995.

However, the crushing plant did not work properly and economically because the

The start of reconstruction work in Bosnia

After more than 4 years of civil war in Bosnia and Hercegovina, the Dayton Agreement of November 1995 has attempted to put an end to the hostilities and to prepare the ground for normal life in the area. Before normal life could be restored, extensive rehabilitation and reconstruction activities also needed to be implemented, including emergency protection and rehabilitation of buildings.

The protection of buildings comprised all kinds of partial demolition and construction work in order to

General principles and strategies of disaster waste management

Based on the experiences from the three examples of emergency waste management mentioned above, and other experiences of disasters mentioned in Table 1 and Table 2, some general issues of emergency C&D waste management are listed in Table 3.

In the emergency phase, just after an earthquake, all efforts are concentrated on rescuing people, knowing that persons may survive up to 7 days and nights trapped in ruins. It is necessary to choose the demolition methods which are most rapid and effective

Environmental and economical aspects of disaster waste management

According to the Rio Declaration in 1992 on the environmental challenges for the 21st century, disaster waste must be managed according to the principle of best available technologies not entailing excessive costs (BATNEEC). It is very important to remember that emergency actions and short-term activities based on rapid reactions might not comply with long term considerations and environmental policies. In particular, uncontrolled handling and mixing of wastes can be very difficult to sort out

Concluding remarks

Based on recent experiences from Kobe, Beirut and Mostar, it is evident that one of the most important challenges of the disaster response is C&D waste management. It is also evident that much can be done to improve the capability to meet this challenge.

Generally, the importance of waste management after disasters is usually neglected or underestimated. Many problems could have been avoided if the authorities and others involved in pre- and post-disaster planning and management had a better

References (4)

  • De Pauw, C., Lauritzen, E.K., 1994. Disaster Planning, Structural Assessment, Demolition and Recycling. RILEM Report 9,...
  • Earthquake Waste Symposium, 1995. Proceedings of Earthquake Waste Symposium, Osaka, 12–13 June 1995. UNEP-IETC...
There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

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