Development of Disaster Waste Management Focusing on Organizational Arrangement

Abstract

In recent years, large-scale natural disasters have occurred frequently in Asia and the Pacific, resulting in the generation of huge amounts of disaster waste. Failure to take appropriate measures could lead to serious problems such as deterioration of the living environment. The objective of this study is to identify important points of the organizational arrangements for disaster waste management adjusted to the actual and practical situation of each country or region, by reviewing case studies on support for establishing disaster waste management systems in six countries/regions: Japan, Bangkok (Thailand), Indonesia, Lautoka City (Fiji), Honiara (Solomon Islands) and Samoa. The results show that incorporating disaster waste management in normal-time waste management is important for improving community resilience, normal-time waste management skills, capacity and technology, and for maintaining motivation for DWM preparedness. The responsible government agencies often have a dual structure at the national and local government levels, so it is essential to strengthen cooperation between different institutions regardless of the organizational structure. Furthermore, it is effective for small and medium-sized countries or local governments to strengthen cooperation with local residents, and building social capital through disaster waste disposal can be an effective means of that.