Search the SPREP Catalogue

Fiji's rural population is decreasing, but solid waste management in rural areas is nevertheless slowly becoming a major concern. Increasing globalization and changing lifestyles have resulted in increased consumption of packaged and processed goods in recent years, including food and other items. Rural areas typically lack appropriate infrastructure and formally organized solid waste management system, resulting in increasing problems relating to solid waste, including impacts on human health and decreasing aesthetic values of rural villages and their surroundings.

Human waste management is a major concern in Tuvalu despite decades of promotion of the use of water-seal flush toilets and septic tank systems as the safest and most hygienic way to dispose of human wastes. These systems were promoted as an alternative to the use of the beach for human waste disposal. Unfortunately, the septic tank-based system was introduced in Tuvalu and many other atolls in the Pacific Islands region without regard to the geophysical characteristics of atolls.

Tonga could make economic savings of approximately TOP 6.5 million through improved solid and liquid waste management nationwide. The estimates are based on some key assumptions about functional relationships between the nature and volume of waste and human health effects, waste and the coastal ecosystem and fisheries, as well as the effects of waste on tourism and the aesthetic value residents place on a clean environment. Given the paucity of scientific information, there is an urgent need to collect solid scientific information about the causal relationship between waste and its direct and indirect effects on fisheries, coastal ecosystems and human health. Despite this limitation, the economic values presented in this study can serve as a powerful advocacy tool to better target education and extension programs that advocate for reduction, reuse, and recycling of waste.

For government institutions and private companies, TUC claim from them through the Ministry of Internal & Social Affairs service charge in accordance with the number of buildings or type of buildings they have. This system does not extend to private houses and therefore it is up to private houses to approach TUC and pay for the service charge. Public sen-ants are deducted a charge from their salaries to cover waste removal services with the result public service housing areas receive the most regular service - yet not as efficient and reliable as might be expected for a paid service. Waste for collection is usually left by households or institutions mostly in piles some in bins on the roadside. Many institutions use this sen-ice however there are also some which bum their rubbish or dump them at the beach or shoreline.

The Strategic Action Programme for the International Waters of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (IWP) involves 14 participating Pacific Island Countries: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati. Marshall Islands, Nauru, Nine, Palau. Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.The Programme was originally designed as a 5-year programme. However, for a variety of reasons implementation of the Programme was slower than anticipated with the recommendation in December 2002 that the Programme be extended to cover 7 years. Approval for a 7 year Programme was received from UNDP in January 2003. The revised completion date is to December 2006. The Programme is executed by the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). Its objectives and broad activities are described in a Project Document (UNDP 1999). The day-to-day coordination of work for the IWP, across the 14 participating countries, is conducted by a Project Coordination Unit (PCU), that is housed at SPREP.