During a disaster, some amount of hazardous waste will likely be commingled with nonhazardous wastes (for instance, under flooding conditions, household hazardous waste or sewage may contaminate nonhazardous personal property). The type of debris generated is largely dependent upon the nature of the disaster. Typical disaster debris includes
municipal solid waste (MSW)—personal belongings and general household trash; soil and sediment; putrescibles—animal carcasses (pets or farm animals), rotten or spoiled fruits, vegetables, seafood, or meats; white goods—refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, washers, dryers, stoves, water heaters, and dishwashers; household hazardous waste—oil, pesticides, paints, cleaning agents; construction and demolition (C&D) debris—road, bridge, or building materials such as metals, asphalt, drywall, plaster, brick, concrete, roofing materials, and treated or untreated lumber; vegetative debris—trees, branches, shrubs, and logs; vehicles and vessels—cars, trucks, and boats, fuel, motor oil, batteries, and tires; and electronic waste—computers, televisions, printers, stereos, DVD players, and telephones. To effectively manage disaster debris, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommend that states develop a disaster debris management plan before a disaster strikes. First, it provides funding to eligible applicants. This is done through FEMA's Public Assistance (PA) Grant Program. Eligible activities must also be in the public interest, which is defined as activities that will
eliminate an immediate threat to lives, public health, and safety; eliminate immediate threats of significant damage to improved public or private property; ensure the economic recovery of the affected community to the benefit of the community-at-large; or mitigate the risk to life and property by removing substantially damaged structures and associated appurtenances as needed to convert property acquired through a FEMA hazard mitigation program to uses compatible with open space, recreation, or wetlands management practices. The disaster declaration will state whether debris removal operations will be funded. That share will be no less than 75%, but may be more if requested by the state and approved by the President. Providing direct assistance

When an affected state or local government does not have the capability required to respond to a presidentially declared disaster, it may request direct federal assistance from FEMA. A mission assignment is a work order issued by FEMA to another federal agency directing completion of a specific assignment in response to a presidential declaration of a major disaster or emergency. The Corps's mission includes right-of-way clearance, curbside pickup, private property debris removal, and property demolition. EPA generally works with other federal agencies (particularly the Corps), state agencies, and local governments to facilitate the collection, segregation, and management of waste. However, if residents move disaster-generated debris to a public right-of-way (e.g., curbside), federal funding of debris removal may be available. As a result, the disposal site may pose a long-term threat to human health or the environment. For example, after Hurricane Katrina, EPA advised states to make efforts to segregate asbestos and certain other types of waste for proper disposal in landfills prior to burning the debris.
After a disaster, when a region turns its attention to rebuilding, one of the greatest challenges to moving forward may involve how to properly manage debris generated by the event. Options include typical methods of waste management—landfilling, recycling, or burning. The challenge after a major disaster (e.g., a building or bridge collapse, or a flood, hurricane, or earthquake) is in managing significantly greater amounts of debris often left in the wake of such an event.
Debris after a disaster may include waste soils and sediments, vegetation (trees, limbs, shrubs), municipal solid waste (common household garbage, personal belongings), construction and demolition debris (in some instances, entire residential structures and all their contents), vehicles (cars, trucks, boats), food waste, so-called white goods (refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners), and household hazardous waste (cleaning agents, pesticides, pool chemicals). Each type of waste may contain or be contaminated with certain toxic or hazardous constituents. In the short term, removal of debris is necessary to facilitate the recovery of a geographic area. In the long term, the methods by which these wastes are to be managed require proper consideration to ensure that their management (by landfilling, for example) will not pose future threats to human health or the environment.
After a presidentially declared disaster, federal funding or direct assistance in response to the disaster may be available to a state or local government. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may provide funding through its Public Assistance (PA) Grant Program for debris removal operations that eliminate immediate threats to lives, public health, and safety, or eliminate immediate threats of significant damage to improved public or private property. The federal share of funding to the affected area will be stated in the disaster declaration, but will be no less than 75%. The funding will be available for response activities in a designated geographic area for a specific period of time.
In addition to funding, if the state or local government does not have the capability to respond to the disaster, it may request direct federal assistance from FEMA. Federal agencies most likely to assist with debris removal operations are the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Activities they may perform include right-of-way clearance, curbside waste pickup, private property debris removal, property demolition, assistance with contaminated debris management, and collection of household hazardous waste.