[Chiba: Torrential Rains] Massive Amounts of Disaster Debris Left on Streets Pose Risk of “Foul Odors & Secondary Infectious Disease Outbreaks”

The Struggle to Dispose of Trash

“Just as I noticed water starting to pool on the road, it flooded up to the floor in the blink of an eye. I struggled to get the water-logged furniture and other trash out of the house, but it’s still sitting out in front of my house.”

These are the words of a man in his 60s living in Inage Ward, Chiba City.

The “Reiwa 8 August Chiba Torrential Rains” struck Chiba Prefecture from August 13 through the early hours of August 14. A “Level 5 Heavy Rain Special Warning”—indicating an imminent threat to life—was issued in 22 cities and towns, and Chiba City recorded 367 mm of rainfall over 24 hours, the highest amount ever recorded in its history.Across the prefecture, the disaster claimed 13 lives, with one person still missing. Flooding above and below floor level has affected more than 4,100 buildings (as of August 25).

Two weeks have passed since the torrential rains began. While the water has receded, the problem now is the disaster debris—such as household goods rendered unusable by the flooding. Municipalities, including cities and towns, are collecting furniture rendered unusable by the torrential rains free of charge. However, due to the sheer volume, the collection process has not been proceeding smoothly. A man from Inage Ward in Chiba City, mentioned at the beginning of this article, shares his experience:

“Items like tatami mats that have soaked up a lot of water are too heavy for me to carry by myself. I managed to sort them out and finally line them up along the road in front of my house, but I hear the local government is receiving a flood of requests for pickup… I have no idea when they’ll come to pick them up.”

Chiba City has set up two temporary waste collection sites. When a reporter visited the site, a massive pile of trash stretched out before him: large appliances like refrigerators, televisions, and washing machines, as well as everyday items such as computers, electric fans, sofas, and futons. One man, who rented a van to transport his own trash rather than relying on the city, said:

“To dispose of furniture that was almost completely destroyed by the flooding, I rented a van and came to the temporary collection site with some friends. This is my second round trip, but I’ll have to make at least one more before I’m done.”

According to Chiba City, disaster debris brought to the temporary collection sites is immediately sorted using heavy machinery before being transported to processing facilities; however, trash keeps being brought in, and the volume just keeps growing. Trash from residents—such as the elderly—who cannot transport it on their own is piling up on the streets, creating a vicious cycle where the temporary collection sites are on the verge of overflowing…Furthermore, the waste problem could potentially cause secondary damage in the disaster-stricken areas. Associate Professor Nobuhisa Hirayama of Nagoya University’s Center for Collaborative Research on Disaster Reduction points this out.

“In flood debris, the nutrients contained in the mud create an environment where microorganisms thrive, rapidly increasing health risks such as foul odors and waterborne diseases.To prevent delays in collection, rather than waiting for individual requests from disaster victims, it is necessary to take measures such as designating collection days for each district and conducting simultaneous collection. To keep processing costs down and reduce the tax burden, cooperation from disaster victims in sorting their waste is also essential.”

Disaster debris is piling up faster than collection efforts can keep up. There is still no end in sight for clearing the waste from the disaster-stricken areas in Chiba.

From the September 11–18, 2026, combined issue of *FRIDAY*