Disasters are becoming more frequent and more intense around the world. Even in Japan, after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, we have experienced many disasters such as storm and floods, landslides, damaging snow storms, and volcanic eruptions. When disasters occur, not only are human life and wealth affected, but a large amount of waste is generated at once too, leading to many issues in terms of preserving living environments, including the contamination of disaster waste, occurrence of pests and terrible odors, and deterioration of public health through the diffusion of hazardous waste and damage to buildings and infrastructure.

In order to promptly restore and reconstruct from disasters, it is crucial to manage disaster waste consisting of damaged buildings, household goods, and other materials in an appropriate and rapid manner. In Japan, we have responded by utilizing waste management technology developed toward the goal of establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society. Furthermore, we will continue to reflect on our experiences in disaster waste management conducted in previous cases and take measures from various institutional, technical, economic, and systematic aspects.

The experiences and lessons in disaster response in Japan, a disaster-prone country, must be effective and adaptable for other countries around the world after considering differences in geographical conditions and types of disasters. Therefore, we have actively disseminated our experiences and information through our participation in the World Conference on Disaster Reduction held in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture in 2015, a series of meetings organized by the UN Environment-International Environmental Technology Center (IETC), and the G7 Alliance Workshop.

Furthermore, in order to make effective use of our findings and to contribute to the challenges in developing resilience around the world, we have decided to compile these findings as the “Disaster Waste Management Guideline for Asia and the Pacific” . This Guideline is supported by the Japan Society of Material Cycles and Waste Management (JSMCWM), a member of the D.Waste-Net established in September 2015—a supporting network of experts made to effectively utilize knowledge and technology in related academic spheres, business, and organizations as a means of strengthening capacity development in disaster response for various places in Japan. I hope other countries will become conscious of disasters and emerge with a sense of mission, and that this guideline can provide great help in enhancing the capacity of local governments in properly coping with crisis.