Why is it important?
About 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste were generated in 2016. This number is expected to reach 3.4 billion tonnes by 2050 and to triple in low-income countries (1). While the quantity of waste generated by aid organisations might represent only a small proportion of the waste generated locally (2), the composition of this waste is very different (i.e.: plastic packaging, old computers, medical waste etc…) in comparison to what is often generated by local communities (3).
Disrupted or inefficient waste management systems poses a serious threat to the environment, as uncontrolled burning releases CO2 and noxious gases, and waste in uncontrolled landfills decompose into methane and other soil-polluting elements. It is estimated that 93% of waste is openly dumped in low-income countries, and 2% in high-income countries (4). Open burning is a common practice in low-income countries, particularly in rural areas.
Poor waste management does not only have an impact on the environment but also on public health. UN-Habitat found that in areas with no sufficient access to waste management services, the incidence of diarrhoea is twice as high, and acute respiratory infections occur six times more often than in areas with frequent waste collection (5).
What is the solution?
Waste management should follow the waste hierarchy: first, avoid and reduce waste at the source, starting during the design and procurement phases. Second, repair and reuse. Third, sort and collect waste separating non-hazardous from hazardous waste. Fourth, recycle. Last, dispose responsibly with composting, controlled incineration or regulated landfilled. All along, staff and stakeholders must be informed and sensitised.
Key actions
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#1 Planning & monitoring
Identify the different types of waste produced, evaluate and record their quantity by volume or weight. Draw up a context-based waste management plan, including sorting, collection, transport, storage, and final disposal. Assess and use local capacities like municipal landfill, informal sector, recycling companies, incineration facilities, etc.
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#2 Avoid & reduce
Encourage procurement and program teams to avoid and reduce waste at early stage of the project. Evaluate the relevance of each purchase. Engage with suppliers and avoid polluting or single-use items and packaging . Privilege re-usable, recycled, locally repairable and recyclable items with a long lifespan.
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#3 Repair and Reuse
Identify items that can be repaired and re-used instead of wasted. Support the necessary infrastructure, for example repair shops, tools or internal workshop. Seek spare parts for the repair process.
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#4 Sort & collect
Use separate bins and label them to sort and collect waste. Sort, collect and label hazardous waste separately to avoid any risk or contamination. Adapt the sorting to the existing local recycling opportunities (textile, paper, metals, glass, informal and formal sectors etc). Explore opportunities to mutualise collecting and storage with other actors.
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#5 Recycle
Work with local recycling companies and create employment opportunities. Consider influencing and supporting local governments and decision-makers to improve the recycling infrastructure. See “Recycling waste in developing countries”.
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#6 Treatment & final disposal
Identify and use legally approved local or regional disposal channels (composting, burial, sealing, controlled landfill, incineration…). Visit the site regularly. Establish partnerships (e.g., incineration in cement plants, energy recovery opportunities) and mutualize equipment like compost pits or collaborate with other actors (NGO’s, health structures, local governments, etc.). See “Waste final disposal ” factsheet.
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#7 Staff engagement and sensitisation
Raise staff awareness across all departments and involve them in avoiding waste, sorting, reusing, choosing long lifespan items, and reducing packaging.
Point of attention
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Point of attention
- The best waste is the waste that doesn’t exist. Prioritise waste reduction at source.
- An efficient waste management system requires financial resources. Anticipate the required resources accordingly.
- Always conduct a direct, visual inspection of the waste’s final disposal site.
Tools and good practices
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IFRC, Managing Solid Waste: Sector-Specific Guidelines for the Red Cross Red Crescent, 2020
A handbook that provides practical advice to sector practitioners who are not necessarily specialised in waste management. The document contains an extensive list of additional resources.
Read here -
Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit, Disaster Waste Management Guidelines, 2013
A guide to waste management in the context of emergencies and disasters.
Read here -
Oxfam, Technical Briefs
Oxfam provides a series of technical briefs and resources on the topics of domestic and refugee camp waste management, composting, large-scale environmental clean-up campaigns and hazardous wastes.
Read here -
ProAct Network, DWR, Shelter Centre, Planning Centralised Building Waste Management Programmes in Response to Large Disasters, 2010
Short guide for shelter practitioners with little experience of centralised disaster waste settings. In the annex, a list of re-use and recycle potential of standard building materials and the main elements of a waste management plan are made available.
Read here -
EAWAG/SANDEC, Decentralised Composting for Cities of Low- and Middle-Income Countries. A Users’ Manual, 2006
The handbook describes approaches and methods of composting on neighbourhood level in small-and middle-scale plants. The reader is led step by step through the planning, implementing and operational stages of a decentralised composting scheme.
Read here -
Online course: Waste Management Practices in context of crises (in French)
URD course for members, about waste management in crisis contexts.
Read here -
Waste management and Reverse Logistics in the Humanitarian Context, September 2022
The WREC is a project for Environmental Sustainability in Humanitarian Logistics. This document is a research about reverse logistic applied to waste management.
Read here -
WREC, Quick tip to minimize waste during acute emergencies, 2023
The Environmental Sustainability in Humanitarian Logistics project proposes tips to reduce waste in crisis situation.
Read here
To go further
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The World Bank, What a Waste 2.0, A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050, 2018
A report with a wealth of data on global waste management. It also includes case studies from around the globe.
Read here -
UNEP/IETC, Reports on waste management in different
The UNEP International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC) provides access to a number of resources on waste management, with a focus on practices or policies in different regions.
Read here -
Global Waste Management Outlook, 2015
Scientific waste management assessment based on science from UNEP.
Read here -
UNEP, Turning off the Tap How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy, 2023
A reflexion on how to reduce plastic pollution.
Read here -
THE ECONOMIST, Emerging economies are rapidly adding to the global pile of garbage, 2018
How a growing circular economy can help reducing the increase of garbage.
Read here -
EAWAG/SANDEC, Anaerobic Digestion of Biodegradable Solid Waste in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, 2007
The document gives an overview of existing technologies, presents case studies and provides links to technology providers.
Read here
Updated
Last updated July 2024. Share your success stories, suggestions, and comments with us! contact@climateactionaccelerator.org
Featured
Hazardous waste
Non hazardous waste
Repurpose packaging
Eliminate unnecessary or problematic plastic packaging
Repairable items
Sources
(1) World Bank, ‘Trends in Solid Waste Management’. in The World Bank, 2023. Available here.
(2) In Port-au-Prince, Haiti (2015), humanitarian organisations generated 80 tonnes of waste per day (representing 5% of the total amount of waste generated in the city): Groupe URD, ‘The waste produced by humanitarians: acting in an exemplary manner’. in Groupe URD, 2015. Available here. [accessed 13 May 2024].
(3) In North Africa and the Middle East, 58% of the total waste composition is organic/green as opposed to 28% in Northern America: World Bank, ‘Trends in Solid Waste Management’. in The World Bank, 2023. Available here.
(4) World Bank, ‘Trends in Solid Waste Management’. in The World Bank, 2023. Available here.
(5) UN-Habitat, ‘Solid Waste Management in the World’s Cities : Water and Sanitation in the World’s Cities 2010 | UN-Habitat’. in unhabitat.org, 2010. Available here.
(6) JOINT INITIATIVE for sustainable humanitarian packagaing waste management, ‘Packaging Baseline Assessment Based on Humanitarian Emergency Responses in 2021 | Shelter Cluster’. in sheltercluster.org, 2023. Available here [accessed 13 May 2024].
(7) Environment, UN, ‘De la pollution à la solution : une évaluation mondiale des déchets marins et de la pollution plastique’. in UNEP – UN Environment Programme, 2021. Available here.
Cover photo © Pawel Czerwinski/Unsplash.
Composting
