Disaster Debris Management Planning –
A Community’s Best Defense
By Lori Scozzafava, GBB Senior Vice President, Operations Officer

Extreme events like hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, ice storms, tsunamis, volcanoes, earthquakes, and acts of terrorism create emergencies that threaten lives and damage property. When faced with emergencies, prepared teams don’t have to think about what needs to be done. They follow established protocols that allow them to respond quickly and effectively while simultaneously implementing well-thought-out procedures that will bring normalcy back as soon as possible and mitigating any long-term consequences.

While environmental resource management professionals are not relied upon for rescue operations during natural and man-made disasters, they play critical roles in responding to the events by orchestrating the removal of debris, in a timely fashion, that will minimize the disposal of as much material as possible (preserving landfill space) and insure that the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) rule are followed, so that federal reimbursements may be obtained for the cost of the debris handling. This can best be accomplished if advanced planning has been done so that contracts for collection assistance are in place, temporary debris storage facilities have been identified, and processing capabilities have been lined up. The mechanism communities use for pre-disaster planning is to develop a Debris Management Plan (DMP).

Having a DMP allows facilities to respond and resume operations quickly; return the community to a working state of normalcy as soon as possible; reduce the impact to the environment; ensure effective use of resources; and comply with local, state and federal regulations.

Key elements of a DMP include:

• An overview of the purpose of the plan and how it fits into the community’s Emergency Management Plan;
• Identification of the types of incidents that are likely to occur, with estimates of types and quantities of debris that may be generated;
• A description of how debris will be collected and removed (specifically about removal from private property) and where this material will be stored and processed;
• Pre-prepared public information strategy that ensure residents receive accurate and timely information about procedures, timeframe, rules and guidelines;
• Health and safety precautions that will be implemented to protect workers and residents;
• Environmental considerations that may trigger compliance with environmental and historic preservation;
• An estimate of the personnel and equipment that will be needed and the roles and responsibilities for all involved;
• A description of the monitoring of debris operations and how the jurisdictions will monitor its debris removal contractor at pickup sites, who will perform monitoring, and measures to avoid conflicts of interest in monitoring contracts.

Unfortunately, no matter where one is, it is likely that disasters will occur. Although some locations are more at risk, GBB always advises that a community maintain a regularly updated DMP as part of its emergency management resources. Without such a plan, a community can expect that a disaster will strain its solid waste infrastructure, inefficiently expend resources, and even years after the disaster, it may find itself mitigating damages. To avoid long-term disruptions from a disaster, having a DMP in place is your best defense.

Renewable Energy from Waste Conference Proceedings Streamable Online

The 5th edition of the Renewable Energy from Waste (REW) conference, the premier waste conversion industry event, took place in early October. Originally scheduled to take place in Fort Myers, FL, the event became a free online virtual conference following Hurricane Irma, and a donation was made to hurricane relief.

As in previous years, the unique conference provided attendees with information on a wide variety of options - because no one waste conversion technology or fuel product is the solution for everyone. From their desks, attendees of the 2-day webinar heard about technologies that handle various waste streams, from organics to industrial to municipal solid waste. Beyond the technologies themselves, attendees heard about the planning, permitting and market conditions that are essential to successful projects.

As a great, and free, learning opportunity, the content of the 8-hour conference can now be viewed on the REW conference website:

• Waste Conversion Industry Update
  

  (95 minutes: www.recyclingtodayevents.com/video/wasteconversion)
  An overview of today's waste conversion market followed by presentations from those companies and municipalities that are implementing high-profile waste conversion projects.
  
  Speakers:

  • Harvey Gershman (GBB)
  • Dennis Soriano (BioHiTech)
  • Craig Stuart-Paul (Fiberight)
  • Dave Robau (National Energy USA)
    
    

• Lessons from Abroad
  

  (42 minutes: www.recyclingtodayevents.com/video/lessonsfromabroad)
  Technology being applied to waste processing systems in Europe are successfully producing solid recovered fuel and organics for anaerobic digestion. How can these advanced processes be applied in the US? This panel has the answers.
  
  Speakers:

  • Theofanis Tsilionis (Helector)
  • Simon Chignell (DONG Energy)
    
    

• Developing Domestic Refuse-Derived Fuel Processing Systems and Creating Demand
  

  (46 minutes: www.recyclingtodayevents.com/video/fuelprocessingsystems)
  Domestic development of waste-to-fuel processing systems can be successful as technologies to process municipal solid waste and residuals from material recovery facilities are advancing. Find out how from those producing the fuel and those consuming it.
  
  Speakers:

  • Nat Egosi (RRT Design & Construction)
  • Brian Schellati (VAN DYK Recycling Solutions)
  • Jonathan Ménard (Machinex)
    
    

• Closing the Loop with RNG

  (45 minutes: www.recyclingtodayevents.com/video/ClosingtheloopRNG)
  Disposal companies are fueling their collection trucks with the waste they collect, creating a true closed-loop system. This session explored how companies have been able to accomplish this with processes such as anaerobic digestion, which creates renewable natural gas.
  
  Speakers:
  • Adam Comora (Trustar Energy)
  • Randy Lack (Element Markets)
    
    

• The Lee County Success Story
  

  (59 minutes: www.recyclingtodayevents.com/video/leecounty)
  Learn how Lee County, Florida's integrated waste management system has experienced decades of success with a waste-to-energy facility and a robust recycling programs working in tandem. The integrated approach has allowed the county to generate electricity, earn revenue from recycling, and reduce the amount of waste going to landfills.
  
  Speakers:
  • Keith Howard (Lee County, FL)
  • Mike Bedley (APEX Power Services Corp.)
  • Thierry Boveri (Public Resources Management Group, Inc.)
    
    

• Expanding Integrated Waste Management Systems Toward a Circular Economy
  

  (62 minutes: www.recyclingtodayevents.com/video/circulareconomy)
  In this panel discussion, speakers who have experience in implementing waste conversion projects provided practical advice on how to properly, and successfully, move forward a waste conversion process.
  
  Speakers:
  • Tom Smith (Prince William County, VA)
  • Steve Simmons (GBB)
  • Craig Cookson (American Chemistry Council)
    
    

• Tech Talks
  

  (62 minutes: www.recyclingtodayevents.com/video/techtalks)
  Learn about what is happening at the research level to bring further acceptance of waste conversion technologies into solid waste management. The research being shared during this session will shape the future of the industry.
  
  Speakers:
  • Marco Castaldi (City College of New York)
  • Jean-Michel Lavoie (University of Sherbrooke)
  • Mike Gillespie (Sustainable Waste Power Systems, Inc.)
    
    

• Financing Strategies for Waste Conversion
  

  (58 minutes: www.recyclingtodayevents.com/video/financingstrategies)
  Speakers offered effective strategies for securing financing for waste conversion projects.
  
  Speakers:
  • Mark Riedy (Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP)
  • Joe Regnery (New Phase Energy)
  • Jeffrey Weisz (New Canaan Capital Management, LLC)

The event, created by Waste Today and Recycling Today Events, in association with GBB, is the leading conference exclusively centered around waste conversion and will be back with its 6th edition in 2018. Stay tuned for announcements about the date and venue!

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