Ingeniero

A Practical Guide
to Landfill Management
in Pacific Island Countries
and Territories
- How to improve your waste disposal facility and its operation
in an economical and effective way -
Volume-1: Inland-based waste disposal
(2nd Edition)

A Practical Guide
to Landfill Management
in Pacific Island Countries
and Territories
________________________________
Volume-1: Inland-based wastedisposal
(2nd Edition)
March 2010
ii
SPREP Library/IRC Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A practical guide to landfill management in
Pacific island countries and territories : Volume 1 –
Inland-based waste disposal. Apia, Samoa : SPREP,
2010.
iv, 69 p. : ill. ; 29 cm.
ISBN: 978-982-04-0398-7
1.Landfill management - Oceania. 2. Waste Management
– Oceania. 3. Source reduction - Oceania.4. Waste
disposal in the ground - Oceania. 5. Refuse and refuse
disposal - Oceania. I. Secretariat of the Pacific Regional
Environment Programme (SPREP). II. Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA). III. Title
363.728
This guideline was produced with the assistance of JICA.
SPREP
P O Box 240
Apia, Samoa
Ph: (685) 21929 Fax: (685) 20231
Email: sprep@sprep.org
Website: www.sprep.org© SPREP 2010
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme authorizes the
reproduction of this material, whole or in part, provided appropriate acknowledgement
is given.
iii
Foreword
Solid waste management is an environmental priority for most islands in the Pacific.
Unfortunately, lack of recycling and reduction initiatives, poor waste collection systems,
open dumpsites,and environmental pollution are still common in many countries in the
region. Despite this general outlook, there are a number of positive changes being made to
improve waste management policies and practices in Pacific Island Countries and
Territories (PICTs), including improvement of collection systems, implementation of
container deposit schemes, and the upgrading and construction ofsanitary landfills.
This practical guide to landfill management is an important example of positive change. It
draws on the experience of Japan, the country that has developed the Fukuoka type semiaerobic
landfill and has facilitated the construction and upgrading of several dumpsites into
Fukuoka-type landfills in Palau, Samoa, and Vanuatu, as well as other countries in Asia.
This variedexperience has enriched the development of this guideline, which provides
practical, useful tips and invaluable guidance to waste practitioners in PICTs.
As the name of this guide indicates, it is a practical document which can be followed stepby-
step to improve the management of landfills. But it is more than that. It is also a useful
tool for waste practitioners to build their capacity throughself-learning. It is my sincere
hope that you find this guideline useful, and that you take advantage of the opportunities it
represents.
A lot of experience and hard work has gone into the preparation of this document, but our
work does not stop there. SPREP members are calling for more resources to be dedicated to
waste management, and we stand ready to answer that call through continuedpartnership
with partners such as JICA, and through future solid waste management initiatives with
other partners.
In closing, I refer to the acronym ‘NIMBY’ - Not in My Backyard - which has been used
in this guideline. Typically, NIMBY describes the public’s attitude towards waste disposal
facilities, but let us now apply it to ourselves as waste practitioners. Let us no longer allow
poor wastedisposal and poor waste management to take place in our backyard. I entreat
you to use this guideline and take whatever further action is necessary to ensure sound,
practical, and sustainable waste management practices in your ‘backyards’.
David Sheppard
Director
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
iv
Acknowledgements
The following individuals are gratefully...