waste-management-vanuatu

The initiative to ban the use of plastic is a way forward for Vanuatu’s Solid Waste Management (SWM).

Pollution Control Officer at the Department of Environment, Mr Rontexstar Mogeror said that waste management should be a practice taught to young children.

“I have attended a training for three weeks in Japan in Enhancement of Solid Waste Management Capacity, and i have observed how the Japanese control their waste even the young children know separation of waste,”he said.

“The children at kindergarten level have waste management as part of their school curriculum, and so they learn and do practical activities of differentiating types of waste and planting activities using waste in the schools.”

Mr Mogeror said that with the rising problem of waste control in the country especially in the urban centers of Port Vila and Luganville, a way to avoid is through introducing waste management as a syllabus in the schools curriculum in Vanuatu.

“This is a suggestion that needs consideration because when we introduce this to children at a very young age, it will be instilled in their upbringing and attitude and when they grow up, it will be a norm and part of their lives and we will not have a problem with waste pollution in the country,” he said.

“In Japan, a student will practice separation of waste in school, carrying out practical acitivities and when he returns home, it does not stop there, his parents will carry on what he has learnt in school thus they make sure and separate waste such as containers and bottles that can be reused are separated from waste that decompose.”

Mr Mogeror emphasized that with the beautification development taking place, waste issue is very important to consider and its one person’s job but everyone is responsible to keep the place clean.

“Azure Pure Water’s ‘Give Me 5’ initiative is a great start to controlling the use of their plastic bottles, so it does not matter whether you’re a manufacturer or customer, it’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure the place is clean and after use of bottles or food wrappings or plastic, make sure it is dispose at the right place,” he said. READ MORE


SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST