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‘Discarding well’ after a disaster? using a Discard Studies lens to examine disaster waste and debris management (DWDM)

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In the United States, debris removal is one of the costliest and most time-consuming elements of disaster response and recovery. It is essential to reducing secondary environmental and health risks, and to community recovery and rebuilding. However, many operational challenges occur in the field. We present the findings of our research on improving disaster waste and debris management decision-making to undergraduate students studying emergency management. Our ethnographic study engaged over 70 government actors from federal, state, local, and Tribal agencies in focus groups and interviews. By examining the experiences of these actors, who are central to debris removal decisions, our research identifies decision points that send waste down particular pathways from collection to final disposal. Our findings share practical workarounds to operational challenges, such as interagency and interlevel relationship-building, that support on-the-ground decision-making which inform improvements in cooperative federalism and cross agency partnership in disaster clean-up situations. 

Impact/Purpose

Disaster debris and hazardous waste presents significant recovery obstacles to communities. Managing the waste and debris faces challenges from high costs, intricate logistics, and inter-institutional coordination. This research investigates how disaster waste and debris management decisions are made. It seeks to identify intervention points for helping decision-makers navigate complex organizational, emotional, and socioeconomic issues to make environmentally and socially sustainable and resilient decisions, enabling recovery. This research may be of interest to federal, state, and local agencies tasked with planning for or responding to disasters.

Citation

Matsler, M., K. Maxwell, AND S. Henson. ‘Discarding well’ after a disaster? using a Discard Studies lens to examine disaster waste and debris management (DWDM). Virtual Texas A&M Guest Lecture, virtually to College Station, TX, March 20, 2025.

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  • 'DISCARDING WELL' AFTER A DISASTER - USING A DISCARD STUDIES LENS TO EXAMINE DISASTER WASTE AND DEBRIS MANAGEMENT (DWDM).PPTX
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Last updated on April 15, 2025
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