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Managing Materials and Wastes for Homeland Security Incidents

Waste management is a critical part of preparation for and response and recovery following homeland security and smaller incidents. These may include an act of terrorism involving chemical, biological and radiological agents, a large-scale natural disaster or an animal disease outbreak. This site provides public and private emergency planners, managers and responders with all-hazards information they can use to increase their communities' resiliency to these incidents.

Waste Management Planning and Preparation

Neighborhood damaged by severe weather
  • Benefits of planning
  • Planning and preparation activities
  • Writing a pre-incident waste management plan

Waste Management Considerations and Options

Woman standing at an easel writing options
  • Waste management decision-making process
  • What to consider in the decision-making process

Waste Management Options

picture of piles of sorted construction and demolition debris
  • Waste management hierarchy
  • Possible destinations for waste

Waste and Climate Change

Neighborhood damaged by climate change
  • How planning can mitigate the impact of climate change on waste

Tools and Resources

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  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Resources
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Resource
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency Resources
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Resource
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture Resources
  • U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Resource

Related Information

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  • EPA Homeland Security (HS)
  • EPA HS Research
  • EPA's Sustainable Materials Management
    Program
  • EPA Reuse and Recycling 
  • EPA Emergency Response
  • EPA Water 

Highlights

  • Learn about the 2021 Resiliency and Natural Disaster Debris Workshops  
  • Learn about how the Disaster Debris Recovery Tool can help find materials and waste management locations before and after a disaster strikes
  • Check out the updated Planning for Natural Disaster Debris guidance

Scope of Waste Management

Waste management includes waste staging, sampling, characterization, packaging, transportation, reuse, recycling, treatment and disposal.

An All-Hazards Planning Approach

hub and spoke diagram of what an all hazards approach entails

This graphic shows that different hazards have similar affects on the environment. Thus, emergency officials should plan for all hazards.

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Last updated on March 10, 2022