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11. .Sanitahon
Collection anddispossal ofrefuse
The percentage of putrescible matter may range from 20 to 70%.
These few figures simply present orders of magnitude, and in practice the quantity
and density (or volume) of refuse should be determined for each situation. Its
composition is only really important when disposal is by means of incineration or
composting.
In general terms it may be assumed that the volume of refuse will be small when
dealing with a population of rural origin and where the basic ration is in the form of
dry foodstuffs (as is often the case during the Initial phases of an emergency
operation).
Refuse containers
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The objectives are:
to gather the refuse to facilitate the collection;
— to avoid dispersion by wind and animals.
Metal drums are generally used. The bottoms should be pierced so that they do not
retain liquids from decomposition (and to avoid the drums being used for other
purposes), and they should be provided with covers and with handles for easy
lifting. in the first instance one drum per ten families may be provided, placed at a
reasonable distance from the dwellings.
—
Certain structures need particular storage systems, either because of the specific
nature of the refuse produced (hospitals), or because of the large volumes produced
(market, slautghterhouse, various workshops). In these cases, solid, covered and
easily cleaned bins may be built. In health centres, refuse is collected in separate
contalners : some dustbins are available for ordinary refuse and others, clearly
marked, are used only formedical waste.
collection
Collection should be done at least once per week to avoid the hatching of ifies and
odour problems. in practise the use of a whole chain of different resources need to be
optimlsed, but a daily collection is the ideaL
The collection of the contents of dustbins (without forgetting the surroundings) may
be done with vehicles. But it may be more reliable logistically to use hand carts or
animal carts. Moreover, it is difficult in emergency situations to commit a vehicle
exclusively to this task
The collection should be organised:
— establishment of circuits,
— constitution of teams,
— allocation ofa circuit to each team.
After its introduction the collection system should be supervised and evaluated
periodically. (Is the circuit appropriate ? Are the resources enough?)
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