The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) initiated a clean up of Samoa's island of Manono as its project for this year's Enviornment Week in the country.
Its initiative and accompanying community workshops highlighted the need to better understand waste management practices.
3 November 2011: “Waste awareness” was the focus of this year’s Environment Week in Samoa, supported by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
The initiative assists local residents of Manono Island to cope with added waste pressures after the 2009 tsunami. Working in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Government of Samoa (MNRE), Rotary Club of Apia, and the Samoan recycling company Pacific Recycles, SPREP staff conducted a waste awareness and clean up initiative on Manono Island.
Two awareness community workshops were also held for four Manono villages to strengthen understanding of the different types of waste, the benefits of composting or recycling wastes, and the impact of marine debris on marine turtles. [SPREP Press Release]