Initiated within days of the disaster event:

• If people remain in the disaster area, the collection of their household waste should be carried out where possible.
• At this stage a rapid disaster waste assessment should be carried out to inform further decision-making. Exact data is not required, but reasonable ideas about the waste situation, the ability of local authorities to handle the situation, and the need for any international assistance should be provided.

Further considerations include:

• Wastes from displacement camps should be managed in coordination with general solid waste management services, and should be integrated with the local waste collection services.
• Ownership of waste, in particular reusable waste, is an important issue to clarify to avoid later conflicts.

The output of these actions should be an understanding of the basic disaster waste issues, and a series of follow-up actions to address the most urgent issues.

See below for relevant tools and resources.