Tsunamis can result in widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure, with debris being spread over large areas. The debris will often be mixed with soils, trees, bushes and free-standing objects, such as vehicles, boats and trains. This makes the resulting tsunami waste difficult to handle and segregate into recyclable materials.

When debris are mixed with oil, even in water, they must be considered as ignitable. The clean-up requires great care and must be considered potentially dangerous, as the mix with fire, wooden objects and plastics poses a risk to health, life, and the surrounding environment.