Sanitation Will Quickly Become a Major Issue

Sanitation is something that is taken for granted. You put the garbage to the curb twice a week when you leave for work. Magically, during the day it disappears. During a disaster this will not happen. Depending on the length of the disaster the pile of garbage at the curb could get quite large. A couple of weeks of this in the Florida sun and the vultures will not be able to keep up.

Productive Use of Garbage

Food waste must be separated from other waste and disposed of in other methods besides throwing it to the curb. Putting it in plastic bags is not good enough. Items that can be composted (vegetables, egg shells, etc.) must be turned into useable waste products.

Composite and natural fertilizers will come in handy when you begin to grow your own food.  As good composite takes months to produce, starting now is the smart option.

Dispose of Garbage Wisely

The amount of garbage will also be an invitation for animals and scavengers to begin to feed. This close interaction with humans will result in bites, injuries and even deaths.  Rats and other scavengers will seek out your garbage and consider it a feeding ground.  Be sure to either bury your garbage or dispose of it very far from human intervention

Sanitation is More Than Garbage

Beyond this there is also personal hygiene to consider. After a few days of not bathing people begin to stink. This is from bacteria growing on the skin. Several more days of this and the integrity of the skin declines to the point of not being the protective barrier it needs to be or was designed to be. Disease and infection will follow.
Clean water for bathing may not be available. If it is but is in short supply using drinking water for bathing is not a wise choice. Bathing in lakes in Florida is inviting alligators to feed. Extreme caution must be taken whenever approaching bodies of water in Florida.

You Must Plan for Human Waste

Human waste is also a problem to deal with. Toilets will not work if electricity is not available to run the waste pumps and waste treatment plants. Flushing a toilet in a house could lead to toilets that back up and overflow, making the home unsanitary.

Digging a hole to put waste in isn’t the answer either. Caution is advised as digging in Florida will result in hitting ground water very quickly. Dumping waste into ground water will pollute water for others in the area. Plans must include a way to compost human waste above ground using saw dust toilets.

If the disaster runs for a great length of time it is very possible that soap and sanitary cleansing methods will run in short supply or be totally exhausted. In this case learning how to make soap will be a necessity.

Conclusion

What did I miss?  What are your plans to handle garbage and waste?