Palau’s Waste and Garbage
What are waste and garbage issues?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines solid waste as “any garbage or refuse, sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semi-solid, or contained gaseous material resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, and agricultural operations, and from community activities.”2 More generally, waste can also simply be defined as “unwanted and unusable materials.”1
There are many different sources of waste. Five main sources are: industrial, commercial, domestic/municipal, agricultural, and biohazardous sources.1 Industrial waste is produced in factories and industries and can include plastic, glass, etc.1 Commercial waste is produced in schools, colleges, shops, and offices and can include plastic, paper, etc.1 Domestic waste is produced in households and can include vegetable peels, plastic, excreta, etc.1 Agricultural waste is produced in the agricultural field and can include cattle excrement, weeds, etc.1 Biohazardous waste is any kind of “biologically contaminated waste that could potentially cause harm to humans, domestic or wild animals, or plants” and can include blood, bodily tissues, pathogens, etc.3
Waste is either biodegradable or non-biodegradable.1 Biodegradable wastes, or wet wastes, are any kinds of waste that decompose themselves over a period of time.1 Examples include food remains, garden waste, some types of paper, etc.1 This decomposition can be facilitated through methods like composing or vermicomposting, which involves converting waste into organic matter by burying them to be decomposed by bacteria, fungi, and/or worms.1 The resulting products of these decomposition processes can then be used as fertilizer.1 For more information on composition, watch this video. Non-biodegradable wastes, or dry wastes, are any kinds of waste that do not decompose by themselves and hence are major pollutants.1 Examples include glass, plastic, etc.1 Sometimes, non-biodegradable wastes can be recycled or reused, meaning they can be kept and utilized again, instead of disposed of.1
Waste and garbage issues arise when waste is improperly managed.9 Improper waste management ranges from dumping waste in landfills that are unlined, meaning that the waste can then leak hazardous chemicals into the soil, to burning waste at landfills, releasing toxic substances into the air.1 (See Figure 1.) Poorly managed waste can eventually lead to the contamination or pollution of oceans, clogged drains that then induce flooding, the transmission of diseases, respiratory problems from air pollution, and the harm of animals that consume waste, just to name a few.4
So, what waste and garbage issues does Palau have?
Poor waste management in Palau poses a threat to its natural environments and all that they offer to tourists and locals, as it not only negatively impacts the country’s natural resources (as they are polluted by waste both directly and indirectly) but also its economic development through tourism (as polluted ecosystems are not as aesthetically pleasing to tourists).7 It is therefore very important that Palau takes its waste management very seriously. Waste collection is organized and overseen by the Palauan government’s Solid Waste Management Office of the Bureau of Public Works.8 View this office’s website here.
Waste that has been collected is brought to Koror’s landfill, which is referred to as “M-dock” and acts as the country’s largest waste disposal facility.8 Historically, M-dock operated as an open dumpsite, which polluted its surrounding marine environment through leachate run-off, as it is located in an area of shallow reef and mangrove wetland.8 In 2007, M-dock transitioned into being a semi-aerobic, “Fukuoka-style” landfill, which involves accelerating the decomposition of waste materials and stabilizing waste materials through the use of machinery and equipment like collection and discharge pipes.5 (See Figure 2.) This worked until 2012, when M-dock reached its full capacity.8 This is due not only to a lack of space, but also to the rapid production of waste in Palau, as in Koror, around 1,369 metric tons of solid waste are generated by households each year.8 Currently, until a new landfill is established, the Solid Waste Management Office of the Bureau of Public Works has established a new dike to expand the existing capacity of M-dock.8 Although a site for a new landfill has been identified on Babeldaob, further development is necessary before it can be used.8
Another area where Palau has been struggling to properly manage waste is medical waste disposal.8 The Belau National Hospital has an incinerator to deal with such waste, but staff handling the hospital’s waste are not trained to collect, treat, and dispose of it.8 View the hospital’s website here.
Who are the stakeholders?
An environmental stakeholder is “a person with an interest or concern in environmental activities.”4 It is important to identify stakeholders when addressing an environmental problem, because they are the institutions, people, agencies, or organizations that can affect (and are affected by) the problem. In the case of Palau, we must consider those who have a stake in effective waste and garbage management or who have been impacted by Palau’s waste and garbage issues. Significant stakeholders are: local Palauans (as their way of life is dependent on the environment of Palau, which is threatened by ineffective waste management),7 tourists (as they are drawn to Palau by its pristine oceans, mangroves, reefs, etc),7 Palau’s Bureau of tourism (as it wants to protect Palau’s environment and the economic growth that the tourism sector offers Palau),7 the Solid Waste Management Office of the Bureau of Public Works in Palau’s government (as it is responsible for waste management in Palau),8 Palauan hospital and healthcare workers (as medical waste disposal has fallen upon them and can be dangerous to their health and the health of others),8 Palau’s Ministry of Public Infrastructure (as it is responsible for the construction and establishment of a new landfill, now that M-dock has reached its capacity),8 Palau’s Environmental Quality Protection Board (as it is responsible for the enforcement of regulations on solid waste storage, collection, and disposal),8 and Palau’s Bureau of Public Health (as it deals with issues related to public health and safety that are caused by waste).8
What solutions are being implemented to address waste and garbage issues in Palau?
One solution to Palau’s waste and garbage issues is a program that was launched in 2011 called the Container Deposit Scheme, or the Container Recycling Regulation.8 The program involves a $0.10 deposit fee being charged for each imported plastic, glass, or metal container.8 Consumers can earn $0.05 of that fee back by returning the container to designated depots for recycling, but the other $0.05 is used to cover the costs of recycling.8 The program has effectively led to around 98% of aluminum cans and 10% of organic materials being removed from Palau’s waste stream, which reduces pressure on M-dock and its dike expansion.8
Another solution to Palau’s waste and garbage issues is a partnership that it had with the Special Programme, or the Chemicals and Waste Management Programme.7 The Special Programme is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (learn more about the UNEP here), and its goal is to strengthen a country’s capacity to implement sound chemical and waste management in accordance with the regulations put forth at the Basel, Stockholm, and Minamata Conventions.7 The program’s specific partnership with Palau involves many parts, but its primary goal is to provide a “comprehensive overview and assessment of Palau’s existing legal, administrative, and technical infrastructure related to chemicals and waste management,” such that it will be easier for Palau to draft and pass national environmental legislative reform.7 One part of the partnership focuses on carrying out a national marine litter survey in Palau, in order to find the necessary information to create a Marine Litter Action Plan for Palau that would effectively identify appropriate interventions to littering in Palau’s marine ecosystems.7 This process is done “in consultation with a range of stakeholders including government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.”7 Another part calls for creating a centralized data management system for chemicals and waste in Palau, which would also serve as a tool that can be used when developing policies and providing evidence that back policies that are being proposed or passed.7 Finally, the partnership also plans to evaluate sustainable financing mechanisms in Palau to support sound chemicals and waste management, such that legislation and financing can be improved and policies’ sustainability can be ensured.7
A third solution to Palau’s waste and garbage issues was the Global Ocean Cleanup, which was carried out in 2022 by the Oceanic Society, which is an international organization, and Paddling Palau, which is a specialty tour company.6 The cleanup was done at Orchid Cove, which comprises mangrove and beach areas that are within Palau’s Rock Islands.6 (See Figure 3.) This area is not only a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but also includes two sea turtle nesting beaches and a nursery for blacktip reef sharks and feathertail stingrays.6 The cove is only accessible by boat, which is why Paddling Palau was a key partner for the Oceanic Society in executing the cleanup, as Paddling Palau specializes in organizing and leading natural history tours by kayak and traditional sailing in Palau’s Rock Islands.6 See more about what Paddling Palau offers here.
Are there any barriers to these solutions?
There are a few barriers to Palau’s Container Deposit Scheme.8 The first is consumer motivation and involvement, as the entire program is dependent on consumers desiring a return of $0.05 badly enough to warrant taking their containers to recycling depots.8 Another barrier is Palau having the proper equipment and machinery necessary to carry out the recycling process and keep up with all of the containers that are brought in to be recycled as the program necessitates.8 Watch this video if you would like to learn more about how recycling actually works.
Palau’s partnership with the UNEP’s Chemicals and Waste Management Programme also has a few barriers.7 Foremost, the willing engagement and disclosure of waste management details and policies by private companies and non-governmental organizations can prove to be challenging to elicit.7 Should such companies and organizations refuse to reveal such information, the partnership would not have all of the data necessary to have a “comprehensive overview and assessment” of Palau’s waste management.7 Having the technology capable of maintaining a centralized data management system for chemicals and waste in Palau is also a barrier, as such a data management system would need to be readily accessible in remote areas of Palau.7
The Global Ocean Cleanup, although successful as done in 2022, faces the practical problems of involving individuals, reaching isolated and out of the way parts of Palau’s environment, and maintaining the cleanliness of the areas that have been cleaned as its predominant barriers.6 To implement such a cleanup again, the necessary resources for recruitment and funding would prove to be hard to procure without another partnership with an organization like the Oceanic Society again.6
So, are these solutions sustainable?
The definition of sustainability that I will use for this analysis is outlined in my Place-Based Project Essay. Please click here to view this definition.
Palau’s Container Deposit Scheme is a pretty sustainable solution.8 This is largely because of how it effectively “empowers individual and collective action” by bringing in general consumers and incentivizing them to recycle.8 (See Figure 4.) The project even successfully removes waste from Palau’s waste stream that would otherwise contribute to runoff, leaching, and other negative environmental impacts.8 This meets the definition’s call for “[reducing] pollution.” One of the program’s shortcomings is that it does not make clear exactly what specifically in the “recycling process” the money being taken from consumers is used for, so it is not as transparent as the definition requires.8
According to our definition, Palau’s partnership with the UNEP’s Chemicals and Waste Management Programme is a massively successful sustainable effort.7 It involves “a range of stakeholders,” meaning it meets the definition’s inclusion of “a diversity of stakeholders” and “[considering] the intersectional nature of sustainability.”7 On top of that, the partnership’s goal is to gather data and establish systems that can then be used to support policy making that will “protect and restore the health of natural systems, preserve biodiversity… reduce pollution [and] justly [protect] human health,” as the definition details are important to sustainability.7 Lastly, the partnership takes into account the finances necessary to facilitate its goals, proposing methods of evaluating “ethical economic development,” as the definition states, that can be used to provide such funds.7
Lastly, the Global Ocean Cleanup meets our criteria for sustainability pretty well. First and foremost, this is because of its efforts to protect Palau’s Orchid Cove, essentially “[protecting and restoring] the health of natural systems [and reducing] pollution.”6 This alone meets one of the definition’s criteria. Having said that, the cleanup also aimed to look after and safeguard the nesting beaches and nurseries of marine life, meeting the definition’s call for “[preserving] biodiversity.”6
What assets does Palau have regarding these solutions?
Assets that are mentioned in Palau’s Container Deposit Scheme,8 Palau’s partnership with the UNEP’s Chemicals and Waste Management Programme,7 and the Global Ocean Cleanup include: the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),7 the Oceanic Society,6 and Paddling Palau.6
These assets, along with many others, can be viewed here in my asset map.
References
1Admin. (2023, September 27). Source and Types of Waste -Types of Waste, Sources of Waste & Recycling of Waste. BYJUS. https://byjus.com/chemistry/waste/#:~:text=Introduction,is%20also%20known%20as%20garbage.
2American Veterinary Medical Association. Definitions: What is waste? (n.d.). https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/one-health/waste-disposal-veterinary-practices/definitions-what-waste#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20Environmental%20Protection%20Agency,contained%20gaseous%20material%20resulting%20from
3Brenner, B. (2024, January 26). What are some examples of biohazardous waste? MedPro Disposal. https://www.medprodisposal.com/examples-of-biohazard-waste/#:~:text=Iowa%20State%20University%20%5Blinks%20to,%2C%20animal%20or%20plant%20pathogens.%E2%80%9D
4Ijjasz-Vasquez, E., Wahba, S., & Kaza, S. (2018). Here’s what everyone should know about waste. Sustainable Cities. https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/sustainablecities/here-s-what-everyone-should-know-about-waste#:~:text=Poorly%20managed%20waste%20is%20contaminating,development%20such%20as%20through%20tourism.
5Masataka Hanashima, E. & Fukuoka University. (2020). Guide to introducing the Fukuoka Method: Semi-Aerobic Landfill Method: for final waste disposal sites. Fukuoka Prefecture. https://www.pref.fukuoka.lg.jp/uploaded/life/640985_61334511_misc.pdf
6Oceanic Society. (2024, February 12). 2022 Global Ocean Cleanup – Oceanic Society. https://www.oceanicsociety.org/ocean-cleanup-2022/
7United Nations Environment Programme. (n.d.-a). Palau puts the environment first through sound chemicals and waste management. UNEP. https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/palau-puts-environment-first-through-sound-chemicals-and-waste-management#:~:text=But%20gaps%20in%20chemicals%20and,challenge%20for%20collection%20and%20disposal.
8Woodruff, A. (2014). Solid waste management in the Pacific: Palau Country snapshot. Asian Development Bank. https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/42665/solid-waste-management-palau.pdf9The world counts. (n.d.). https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/planet-earth/waste/global-waste-problem