Managing solid waste from an island perspective

Gillian CambersSmall Islands Voice

Small Islands Voice

exchanging views on environment and development issues

• working together to solve their problems

• taking part in the Small Island Developing States Programme of Action

SIV Global Internet Forum

• Web based discussion• Articles emailed out every 2 weeks

to more than 20,000 e-mail addresses of people living in small islands

• Discussions compiled and summarised on the web

SIV Global Internet Forum

SMALL ISLANDS VOICEDo you live in a small island?

Tell us what you think.

********************************‘We are swimming in excessive garbage,

with the threat of health epidemics… can islands work together to solve the garbage

problems………….

Locating solid waste sites

Problems persist

Mustique

• Mustique, a small island is the eastern Caribbean, with about 1,000 people and managed by a private company, and famous as the Caribbean home of royalty and media stars…..

Garbage collection

Central sorting area

Waste is sorted

Garden debris recycled as mulch

Batteries separated

Electrical items separated

Rest of waste incinerated

Maldives

Male capital of the Maldives

Male waste collection yard

Male waste collection yard

Sorting the waste

Sorting the waste

Other initiatives – clean-ups

Recycling efforts – Puerto Rico

Recycling efforts - BVI

Recycling - BVI

Recycling – Cook Islands

Small Islands Voice

• Islands select specific environment and development problems to address

• Seychelles, Bequia in St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and Fiji have selected solid waste

St. Vincent & the Grenadines

Glass recycling - Bequia

Bequia: making the benches

Bequia – enjoying the results

Bequia – finished product

Bequia – patio tiles

Seychelles

SIV Youth Internet Forum

• Students in 40 schools in 12 island territories

• Using the internet to discuss issues from recycling to hydroponics

SIV Youth Internet Forum

View the discussion at

www.sivyouth.org with username view and password only

Need for recycling Praslin Secondary School, 22 April 2003

Littering is quite an issue in our school. Different clubs and groups have made it their number one priority and have racked their brains to come up with different ways to try to encourage students to keep the school environment clean. Posters, talks, and even fines have been experimented with, but none so far have proved to be successful

Zero tolerance to litter project

Actions: litter bins beautification fines competitions

Results

• Students agreed it had not yet been successful

• Some progress, but need for greater awareness

• Needed to get more serious about fining

• Changing attitudes very difficult

Returning to SIV Global forum

‘There are a lot of programmes here in that should be helping us solve the problem, e.g. Earth Day activities, signs going up all around, but I don't see the change’. Writer from Palau

Final words

• Changing attitudes is difficult• Requires time (generations) and

persistence• Need for overall island wide waste

management programmes• Judging by response to SIV Global

Forum people are keen to do something about garbage issues

www.smallislandsvoice.org

Thank you