Following the wrong handling of waste after several catastrophes, it becomes urgent to look at the proper means of waste disposal after SHTF. It appears that we had forgotten that waste disposal played a crucial role in living before now (in the rudimentary eras) & that humanity was greatly threatened by the inability to deal with human waste the proper way. Cast your mind back to the 20th century to remember or realize the significance of dealing with waste the right way.
Waste is a dangerous blend of bad viruses, bacteria & toxic chemicals. Human waste contains deadly bacteria & bugs that are fortunately kept in check when in the body, but what happens when they are passed out & left unattended?
They have the opportunity to multiply freely in feces. It is only a matter of time before they find a way to contaminate our water supplies and cause various chronic diseases and even death. The bottom line is this: human waste is an excellent means for bacteria & viruses to thrive.
It is through human waste that parasites contract diseases that they infect us with. Paratyphoid, typhoid, dysentery & cholera are a few examples of diseases that flies, cockroaches & rats carry.
Basic Rule of Dealing With Waste After SHTF
Waste disposal systems are usually one of the first mechanisms to lose functionality when SHTF, be it a war or natural disaster. And, oh, this is terrible news. In fact, the casualties of most disasters were the consequences of wrong waste disposal methods rather than the event itself.
However, handling waste is not complicated if you’re aware of some basic principles.
The most important of these principles is straightforward: keep every form of waste away from the sources/supplies of foods & water.
Pretty simple, isn’t it? Simple but not easy. So…
Here’s How You Can Manage To Keep Waste Away From Food & Water Sources
In case you don’t know already, the garbage men won’t be coming around when the poop hits the fan, so you’re facing mounds of garbage & trash that will pile up before you know it, particularly if there’s a lot of survivors.
All the piles of trash & garbage appearing in every corner will attract pests (carriers) that will transmit diseases to us & even scatter the mounds of dirt. There is only one solution: burning the garbage as soon as there’s a pile, while materials that can’t be reused or burned have to be buried or kept in places far from where everyone lives.
Sure, this is hardly ideal, but it may be the sole method to prevent the spread of health diseases by insects & rodents that will make their homes in the piles. And yes, the smoke caused by the burning can be unhealthy but not as much as leaving the waste unattended to.
From the aftermaths of various disasters, I daresay that the main problem will be the management of human excreta, which brings us to…
What to Know About Human Excreta Management When SHTF
First off, human excreta will become a problem only in the event of a disaster that destroys the means of waste disposal without killing a large part of the population. That’s by the way.
In most developed cities, if not all, there are sewer lines carrying effluent (a modest term for liquid human waste) & sludge (heavier solid wastes) to a sewage treatment plant. Now, when a major disaster strikes, the pumps charged with these operations will become non-functional.
The implication of this is that those who live in the higher areas of the city may use their sewer systems for some time (until everything is clogged up). In contrast, those who live in low-lying parts may see their sewer systems deliver waste into their living areas.
Now, if you live in the lower part of town, you should learn how to remove your sewer line from the city’s system beforehand, and if you live in the upper part, the sewer system may not back up at your house, but wherever it does, you should know that it is likely to lead to contamination problems with time.
Toilet Buckets as the Proper Means of Human Excreta Disposal After SHTF
This is the simplest of the disposal methods you could come up with when SHTF. As the name suggests, all involved is buying or creating a bucket or pail to pass out stool, after which you store it in a plastic bag.
Line your bucket with a garbage bag so that feces can be readily removed after passing them. After removal, dispose of the waste in a plastic bag, which should be sealed out. Do not seal your plastic bag too tightly because feces produces methane gas as bacteria break it down. This gas will damage a bag that is too tightly sealed.
The bags you store feces in should not become too full before you dispose of them. You can do away with these bags by digging holes where they can be buried somewhere around you. However, do not find this hole too closely, nor should it be too far. When selecting a spot to dig, take note of the prevailing wind direction. This hole must be kept free of vermin. Insecticides should be a regular addition to this hole.
This pit should be deep & the dirt-packed from it should be used to dig a trench around the pit. Doing so will prevent rainwater from washing off the soil surrounding the hole into it, which may lead to overflowing… if it happens. You should know now that your pit has to be sizable, so many bags can be stored in it before it becomes full. When the pit becomes full, your first task is to cover (bury) it to avoid a health hazard or raise a breeding house for pests.
Urine & water used in food processing and cleaning are comparatively low in harmful bacteria. So, liquid wastes can be stored in available containers that are not used for any other purpose. These liquids can also be deposited into a cesspool through a hand pump or by gravity action.
Final Lines on the Proper Means of Waste Disposal After SHTF
The proper means of waste disposal after SHTF may extend to the use of chemical toilets, which involve chloride lime to inhibit bacteria growth in excreta, but you’ll eventually have to dispose of everything in a pit. We can’t tell when a disaster will occur, so now what you should do is learn how to disconnect your disposal system from the city’s sewer system and construct a bucket or chemical toilets & stockpile what you may need when the poop hits the fan.