US EPA approves CNMI Comprehensive Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan

09/30/2025 - On September 25, 2025, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) formally approved the CNMI's Comprehensive Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan (CISWMP), unlocking access to nearly $34 million in federal funds through the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (ASADRA) for priority solid waste and recycling infrastructure projects.

CNMI Office of Planning and Development (OPD) Acting Director Elizabeth S. Balajadia, P.E. expressed her gratitude to the Inter-Island Solid Waste Management Taskforce (ISWMT) for their dedication to completing the plan.

"Developing this plan was a years-long, all-hands effort of the ISWMT, and I thank you all for your hard work and thank the US EPA for their continued support of the CNMI and our goals.

This approval allows us to fully use ASADRA funding to invest in more staff and in more enhanced, modernized, and resilient solid waste and recycling infrastructure throughout the CNMI over the coming years," said Balajadia.

The primary funding source for CISWMP priority projects is a $56 million ASADRA appropriation administered by the US EPA and awarded to the CNMI. To date, about $22 million of ASADRA funding has already been expended to fund critical solid waste infrastructure projects, with the remaining $34 million being locked until the CNMI submitted a state integrated solid waste management plan to the US EPA in compliance with 40 CFR Part 256. With the CISWMP now approved by the US EPA, the CNMI has full access to the remaining ASADRA funds.

The CNMI CISWMP charts a sustainable path forward for the CNMI's solid waste management system - spanning the development, operations, and maintenance of compliant landfilling, recycling, and composting facilities for Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and the Northern Islands. It includes programs such as public outreach and education, and regulatory updates.

Established in 2002 and revived in 2020, the ISWMT operates under the leadership of the CNMI Office of the Governor with guidance from the US EPA. The offices and agencies that comprise the ISWMT are the CNMI Office of Planning and Development (OPD), CNMI Department of Public Works (DW), CNMI Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality (BECQ), CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources (DLNR), and the Offices of the Mayors of the Northern Islands, Saipan, Tinian and Aguiguan, and Rota. The ISWMT is committed to enhancing the CNMI's solid waste infrastructure through interagency coordination, public-private partnerships, and public outreach and education.

You can read the CISWMP and learn more by visiting the CISMWP Information Hub (https://opd.gov.mp/ciswmp.html) or by following OPD on Facebook, Instagram, and/or LinkedIn. (PRESS RELEASE)