Trash

If normal services are interrupted, trash is a serious urban health danger. If you don't take care of it, the mice and flies will, and you won't like that. The primary rule is: Be careful what you throw away and how you throw it away. "What ya do with what ya got" is a traditional saying that bears remembering. People can respond creatively to disruptions of normal supplies and services. When you begin to think of your trash as less of a disposal problem and more of a useful resource, you are getting to the point.

Reduce Trash

Start by throwing away less stuff. Bottles and cans have other uses once they have been emptied; food and shredded paper can be composted. If stores are closed, you'll find uses for cans. Sort what you throw away; a big problem with recycling is the practice of mixing different kinds of trash. Don't mix wet and dry trash, you will create a stinky mess that will be attractive to flies and mice. Keep toxic items such as spray paint cans separate. Don't put disposable diapers in with other trash. Separate it, bag it, and cover it with a tarp so it can't get wet.

Compost

Compost the wet trash. Mix shredded dry materials (such as newspapers, leaves or sawdust), wet and green trash (lawn clippings, kitchen/garden scraps) with dirt. No meats or fats should be added to this mixture. Keep this compost heap covered with dry material, and slightly damp. If it starts to stink, you probably need to add more dry material or dirt. As the compost rots, it generates heat. You can capture some of this heat as hot water by running a garden hose through the compost heap.

Avoid Disposable Diapers

Do not put disposable diapers into the compost heap or bury them in the ground. If trash collection is disrupted switch to cloth diapers. Disposable diapers can not be burned. If disposable diapers are buried they will not decompose. If disposable diapers are all you have place them in garbage bags and into a container that mice and flies can not get into. Feminine pads should be buried or burned.

Burning Trash

If disruptions of trash collection are prolonged, you may be tempted to organize the burning of trash, but this should be done in conjunction with public authorities such as fire or police departments. Be pro-active in organizing your neighborhood to take care of trash. Don't wait for the flies and mice to start working on it.

Disposal of Human Wastes

The breakdown of a city's sewage system is an immediate threat of the spread of disease. Improper disposal of human wastes causes epidemic diseases that kill people. Immediate intervention is required. Do not use public spaces such as parks or lawns for human waste disposal on the surface of the ground. Do not bury human waste in snow.

If the sewer works, but the water does not, use water that has been used for washing to flush the toilets. Your health and wellness in disaster situations depends a lot on your community's ability to properly meet the challenges of public health such as hygiene, trash, and sewage disposal.