Samoa: Respecting the Mangroves
Case Study: Waste Management Issues
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The government only collects rubbish in the township of Apia. Approximately 0.25 kg of waste per person per day is collected. The waste is transported to a landfill site high in the hills behind the town. Sometimes during the wet season the road is closed and the rubbish is dumped elsewhere. There are growing fears that the ground water below the site is polluted by the leachate from the rotting waste.
Most the town's waste goes to this landfill site including; sewage, medical, industrial, commercial and household wastes. Once the waste arrives at the site it is partly sorted. Yeast from the brewery, sewage, big metal objects such as car bodies and machinery, household appliances and household waste go into separate areas. There is also a special pit for hospital waste.
Around the township itself, people are encouraged to be responsible with their rubbish. To encourage Apia's population to throw its rubbish in the right place, the Beautification Committee organised a competition for village youth groups. The groups were given large steel drums and paints donated by local businesses and asked to decorate them with environmental designs and messages. The brightly painted drums are placed throughout Apia's business district.
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