In March 2016, a three-day workshop on the topic of “disaster waste management generated during typhoons, earthquakes and conflicts” was organised by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) in Sweden. The MSB stand-by roster personnel was the main target audience. Sweden experts shared experience in regards to disaster waste during typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda in the Philippines (2013), cyclone Pam in Vanuatu (2014) and the earthquakes in Nepal (2015).

Two participants deployed to Fiji to support UNDP on dealing with disaster waste as part of early recovery from cyclone Winston. Rubble clearance, safe demolition, sorting and collection of waste, reuse of shelter materials, proper management of healthcare waste and re-establishment of waste value chains are examples of disaster waste management knowledge shared by the course. This work is directly related to the activities of multiple clusters such as WASH, shelter and early recovery.

To find out more about the work of MSB’s seconded experts, watch the video on disaster waste experts’ role in the typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda response here.

The UN Environment/OCHA Joint Unit also holds a free Disaster Waste Management online course and hosts the Disaster Waste Management Guidelines on this website. Consult them both here.