The Real Rubbish News - January 2025 - Kiribati Solid Waste Management Programme

Moving Ahead with Christmas Island

In early December, the KSWMP sent a small team to Kiritimati Island (Christmas Island) to assess what we might be able to do there to assist improving the

waste management going forward. Kiritimati Is. is a unique place: the world's largest atoll by land area, much of it a wildlife reserve for seabirds, and the site of nuclear bomb tests 70 years or so ago. Only some 8,000 people live on Kiritimati, and nearly all are in three areas of settlement, but the waste problems are already evident: a open dumpsite that is uncontrolled and very regularly burnt off; a waste collection that only reaches a small number of people and institutions, leaving most of the population to deal with their own wastes with the '3 Bs' approach: Backyard, Burn & Bury; and no clear single entity responsible for waste management. The recycling system does not function, although all the drinks bought in cans and PET bottles have paid their deposits and should get their refunds.

A new site has been designated to build a proper landfill, so the team mapped that to get some GPS markers; the site is logistically sound being around the centre of population geographically, so costs of truck operations should be kept down. A design needs to be done for the site, and this work will be incorporated into the landfill design work to be undertaken next year in partnership with GEF ISLANDS. A decent landfill site is essential if we are to improve waste collections. Next, the team negotiated with the Kiritimati Urban Council to introduce a Green Bag pre-paid garbage bag system: the KSWMP will kickstart the system by paying the KUC 5¢ per Green Bag they collect with their garbage truck. Next we need distribution of Green Bags to all small stores so that people can buy a Green Bag anytime they need one, close to home. The programme will distribute 20 Green Bags free to each small store, with a notice to put up at their store, and encourage the stores to sell them out. It is hoped that the owners can then buy more once they sold the first lot. This method was very successfully used in Tarawa to start the Green Bag system in 2012. Moel Trading - who

sells the bags in Tarawa - will then ensure supplies of bags are shipped to Kiritimati.

The last part of the puzzle is to start the recycling system, at least with cans and batteries. After a previous visit in 2023 the KSWMP got the old can baler repaired and back for service; it is only a small unit that will get around 9 tonnes in a container, and is the machine that started the Kaoki Maange in Tarawa over 20 years ago. Now we have made an agreement to support a local business to start collecting cans and batteries, and the programme will pay the shipping cost for export as this is a major obstacle. To guide all this work we will hire a contract position for Kiritimati. We'll

have to see how we get on…

KSWMP Conducts Survey to Gauge People’s Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) Towards Beach litter and Waste Management

The Programme has conducted a household survey, with the engagement of 2 local youth groups to implement it. The survey covered 405 households where most of the targeted households were along the coastal areas. The aim of the survey was to assess people’s attitudes and behaviors regarding beach litter in South Tarawa. This is in terms of their awareness of beach litter impacts, challenges or barriers, motivation and participation in clean-up activities, including the reach of the clean-up activities, including the reach of the clean beach campaign called ‘Ara BikeMarawa Rerei’ to the public.

Analysis of the survey results indicates that most of the surveyed households are aware of the consequences of beach littering which includes harm to marine life, pollution and risks to human health. in answer to the question: 'Do you think it is OK to throw your rubbish on the beach or in the sea, 97% of respondents answered 'No'. Given that Tarawa has a very significant issue with waste dumped onto beach tops, this is an essential finding. 61% of respondents identified beach litter as a major problem in their community; 44% agree that the big demotivator is caused by other people dumping rubbish whilst 37% stated that dumping waste on beaches is the easiest option due to convenience. 78% of the households report to using the Green Bag system. About a quarter of the respondents also said that they throw litter on the beach or in the ocean, sometimes citing the reason as being a lack of alternatives. Clearly there is an issue of access to the collection truck along the road as many people on coasts do not access in the dense housing areas.

Despite these challenges, there are groups ranging from communities, youth, churches, government and non-government bodies who are motivated in looking after beach cleanliness. 61% of respondents cited environmental concern as the primary reason for cleaning beaches, 58% stated that keeping beaches safe for children is also a motivator — a useful finding for future campaign work — whilst 34% said that community pride plays a role in keeping the beaches clean, even though 48% of the respondents have never participated in clean-up efforts. The Programme has been running a clean beach campaign ‘Ara BikeMarawa Rerei’, through beach clean-ups and running radio spots regularly, however only 12% of respondents say they were aware of the campaign, which shows we have some work to do.

Thus, these findings show that there is a need for certain areas in which the Programme must consider effectively tackling beach litter and support behavior change. Concentrating efforts on improving campaign communication, strengthening community engagement by fostering community-led initiatives and addressing waste collection infrastructure gaps will be a significant part of the Programme’s drive to support South Tarawa’s journey to reduce beach litter!

APLAS STORY

In November 2024, the Solid Waste Compliance Officer, Miss Gerdi Raimon attended her first Asian Pacific Landfill Symposioum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Miss Raimon submitted a paper to APLAS and was invited to talk about her paper which focused on the Establishment of the Waste Management Authority in Kiribati. This was an exciting opportunity for her as she was able to meet and connect with Waste Management and Landfill Experts who attended the event.

Coming from Kiribati, a developing and remote island in the middle of the South Pacific, Miss Raimon shared about the waste issues being faced by the people of Kiribati from poor waste management to limited resources, highlighting the need for establishing an authority. Waste Management in Kiribati is handled by different Ministries such as the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with the major challenge being the division of waste management responsibilities. Establishing the Waste Management Authority will centralize all waste management activities under one umbrella, aligning efforts toward common goals and explicit responsibilities, and targeting resources. This aims to enhance the efficiency of waste management activities and address waste issues in Kiribati.