GVI successfully implements Waste Management Initiative in Silana Village

Fiji Hub Achievement Report August 2013

Silana Village is located on the eastern coast of Viti Levu island in the Dawasamu District of the Fiji Islands. Silana is home to approximately 170 villagers and has limited access to waste management facilities; the closest being in Suva, two hours drive away. Waste is created every day with food scraps, paper, tin cans, glass bottles, and plastic wrappers. Typically, villagers dispose of their waste by throwing food in the ocean, burning papers, plastics and cardboard, and burying tins and glass. Living directly on the coast on the edge of a marine protected area, and due to a direct dependence on the land for farming, the toxins from burning and burying rubbish not only harm the immediate environment around the community, but contributes to general harmful emissions and has a direct impact on the villages food sources. In July 2013 GVI staff attended a presentation by representatives of the Nadi Town Council on the 3Rs (recycle, reuse, reduce) initiative and the Clean Schools Program which have been successfully implemented across Nadi Town to promote recycling, reduce the burden on landfill sites and encourage zero burning. Using this presentation as a guideline for best practice GVI generated a waste management plan for the community of Silana. In an effort to help promote a more sustainable lifestyle, GVI has begun providing bi-weekly awareness presentations for both children and adults concerning effective waste management. The ultimate goal is to create and promote an ongoing system and understanding of waste management and its benefits amongst villagers of remote communities. By reducing the amount of waste that is burned daily, Silana Village will be a cleaner and healthier home, and will set an example for villages in similar situations. Teaching the village about recycling and composting also

ensures that future generations will have a better chance of inheriting the same natural resources (healthy reefs and fertile land) villagers rely upon today. To date, GVI has delivered presentations on composting, recycling, up-cycling and climate change. Each presentation is adapted for the age of the audience, and provides basic information coupled with GVIs ideas of how to put practical solutions into practice. For example, in the first recycling presentation which was aimed at primary school aged children, GVI volunteers did a village clean up with the children in teams, creating a competition to see who could collect the most rubbish. A simple presentation was given about different types of rubbish; food, tins, aluminium, glass, paper and plastics, and GVI volunteers then helped the children sort the rubbish into the correct recycling bins (labelled boxes). For the adult audience, the GVI team have delivered a series of presentations, the composting presentation being of particular interest to the community. Many of the families in Silana rely on income generated from cash crops and the food scraps that are thrown into the ocean were a wasted resource that could be used towards enriching soil and agriculture. Villagers were given a thorough run through of what items can and cannot be composted, as well as where three compost bins would be installed in the village. The training explained about the nutrient rich soil that composting creates, and how it would benefit village crops. Compost points have been set up to help to

create rich soil for use in the GVI community garden and village farms where volunteers are working with villagers to trial new agriculture techniques and plant a more diverse range of crops. To date, the awareness presentations have been a huge success for the waste management initiative. All three compost bins installed in the village have steadily been collecting the correct food waste, and two out of three receptacles have begun providing soil. The soil has already been used to plant seedlings for the GVI Community Garden, and will continue to supply the gardens with rich soil. Furthermore, two tin can collection bags have been installed in the village and are steadily being filled. GVI has brought the recycled tins to a waste management facility in Suva and set up a partnership to have collections made in a nearby town, Korovou. Additionally, GVI is in works with the waste management facility to begin exchanging aluminium cans for cash, and to

start collecting plastics and glass. Lastly, the up-cycling presentations have led to income generation projects for the Womens Group, and villagers have begun creating ga rdens lined with glass bottles. The awareness presentations and resulting collaboration between GVI and Silana has led to a swift and decisive change to the way waste is managed in the village. The community has become better informed about the challenges that result from climate change that affect both their local environment and the environment as a whole. The village has embraced the benefits of composting and become more creative and comfortable with up-cycling as an idea and tool. The children will continue to learn about recycling at school and GVI looks forward to launching a school-based waste management initiative using the framework developed by Nadi Town Council and JICA in the coming months. GVI will also continue to work with Nanuka Scrap Metals in Suva to further develop the recycling program, and will continue to provide awareness presentations about pressing issues facing both Silana Village and the international community. I have been astounded by the overwhelming enthusiasm of Silana villagers. Every presentation has been received with interest and gratitude, and I have been so fortunate to watch the village transform into a more sustainable place. Villagers are taking initiative and up-cycling on their own, as well as embracing the composting bins and recycling points. To say I am impressed with their open-mindedness and progress is a gross understatement. Kendra White, GVI Community Project Leader.

GVI Fiji

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