Old corrugated cardboard and other fibers make up the largest amount of waste dumped at the Marpi landfill. What’s next? Organics, mostly food waste.

A Department of Public Works study on solid waste management prepared by GHD Inc. for the CNMI government in December 2019 showed that half of the wastes that are dumped at the landfill are these items, where, in terms of weighted mean, 16.2% are cardboard, 17.1% are other fiber materials, and 14.9% are other organics.

What does this tell us? This means that most of the solid wastes we generate here are biodegradable, and can actually be composted or recycled. Simply put, if managed properly, these materials need not be in the landfill.

A quarter of the wastes that go to the landfill include construction and demolition materials, clothing and shoes, and dirt and other bulky items. Plastics, on the other hand, make up a collective 16% of the wastes that are dumped at the landfill. These include PET and HDPE bottles, bags and film, and mixed plastics.

Metals and glass combined go for 11%, with these types of trash: aluminum cans and utensils, food cans, glass bottles and containers, window and sheet glass, ceramic toilets, and other glass and ceramic items.

Again, these are almost all recoverable, if managed properly.

This is critical because on a small island like Saipan, land is an exceedingly precious resource.

In an earlier interview, Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality environmental specialist Marlyn Naputi emphasized that the lifespan of Saipan’s only landfill is a major issue that ties directly with proper solid waste management. To extend the lifespan of the Marpi landfill, waste reduction and recycling is key, she said.

To date, the landfill’s cell 1, the largest and which people in the CNMI have been using for 18 years now, since 2003, is on the brink of reaching its maximum 206-foot capacity. Cell 2, projected to be good for 15 years, will be used next.

The study stated that with Marpi landfill integral to the island’s solid waste disposal capacity, Saipan should consider strategies to divert these recoverable wastes from the landfill.

Waste sort what?

A waste sort is when one sorts and analyzes the actual amount of each different type of material that are in the incoming waste, in the case of the landfill.

In your home, for example, you can do a waste sort by sorting all the materials that are in your waste bin, segregating them according to type—paper and cardboard, plastic, cans, and so on—and then either counting each piece, or weighing them per type. Doing this will provide you with data on which type of waste you most have, which are recoverable, and which are not, and therefore could go to the landfill.

For the Marpi landfill, the waste sort study took place the week of April 8 to 13, 2019, and involved incoming haulers—commercial trucks (green trucks by Joeten Groceries and Ace Hardware), private direct haulers (private citizens, Parks and Recreation, and the mayor’s office), private collection haulers, and haulers from the Lower Base transfer station.

The sorters sorted and analyzed a total of 50 samples, using 32-, 33- gallon totes, or 5-gallon buckets, during the operating hours of the landfill, from 8am to 4:30pm. According to the study, 440 tons of municipal solid wastes were brought to the landfill the week the sort was done.

Again, majority of the wastes are cardboards and other fiber materials, and other organics, all of which biodegrade, and can be recycled or composted. Plastics, glass, and metals, too, can be recycled when properly segregated.

Curbside collection and waste convenience centers

To effectively manage wastes from the community, the study recommended, in terms of the materials that get donated, reused, and recycled, that the Lower Base Transfer Station be expanded. In addition, it was also suggested that more convenience centers be created, where people can go and properly sort and manage their wastes and recyclables.

A ban on the disposal of cardboard to the landfill was also recommended. A major recommendation is the collection of a fee, which would fund a universal collection, as well as a rate structure where every resident and every business pays, and gets access to solid waste program services.

A system of curbside collection was also recommended, as well as the provision for drop off centers and alternative waste diversion programs such as the formalization of swaps and trades that are already happening in the community.

Also, the creation of a solid waste authority was recommended, to set enact, and oversee all these rate structures, and service resources that would guide the flow of wastes in the community, with the main objective of preserving the capacity of island’s only landfill.

The importance of managing our wastes is perhaps best expressed jointly by Naputi, and Youth Congress speaker Cielo Citlalli G. Long, in previous Saipan Tribune interviews.

Naputi said, “To extend the lifespan of our only landfill, waste reduction and recycling is the best way to start. When we practice reducing, reusing, and recycling our waste, we help send less waste to the landfill…thus, extending its life.”

And from Long, this important question, “Many individuals who reside in the CNMI value the importance of land and understand how controversial its topic tends to be. …Would you rather give land to your children and hold its importance true, or would you rather waste it away?”

For those interested in the full study, the CNMI Department of Public Works Solid Waste Management Feasibility Study prepared by GHD Inc. for the Office of Grants Management can be downloaded from the Office of Planning and Development website: https://opd.gov.mp/library/agency/department-of-public-works/

At the Bird Island Lookout in Marpi, on the left side of the stairs, next to a colorful trash bin, is a designated smoking area with a disposal bin for cigarette butts. Clearly printed on the signage is a clipart of a cigarette, and the text “Pls dispose properly.”

In the bin, a creatively recycled blue mineral water bottle cut in half, sponsored by the Marianas Visitors Authority, Saipan Adventure, and Parks and Recreation, were about 35 cigarette butts, tucked in safe, with less of a chance to get to the shores.

At last month’s International Coastal Cleanup, cigarette butts were the most collected trash here in the CNMI, as well as in the rest of the United States. Almost 10,000 cigarette butts were collectively picked up all over the shores of Saipan, Rota, and Tinian.

In a San Diego State University-Graduate School of Public Health study on Tobacco Product Waste, agricultural chemicals (pesticides) have been found to be present in cigarette smokes, as well as other toxic compounds, which could be retained by filters and tobacco remnants in discarded cigarette butts.

Discarded filters may retain many of the compounds, which may leach into the environment and transferred to aquatic organisms, and could bioaccumulate in the human food chain.

What does this mean? Basically, toxic compounds from cigarettes end up in the waters, sink and settle in the sediment, get eaten by small aquatic creatures which are then eaten by small fish, which are eaten by medium-sized fish, which are then eaten by large fish. These larger, predator, longer-living fish are likely to have more chemicals in their bodies.

And who eats these large fish? We do.

All around the world, over 4 million cigarette butts were collected during the International Cleanup—that is just one day of collecting wastes. Imagine how much more cigarette butts are out there, potentially poisoning our shores, waiting to be collected.

Can’t find a bin? Pocket the butt

While there are bills pending right now at the CNMI Legislature on the phase out of single-use plastics (9th most collected waste in the CNMI) and styrofoam packaging (10th most collected trash within the United States), there is none on the management and disposal specifically for cigarette butts.

Environmental specialist Marlyn C. Naputi, of the Toxic Waste Management Branch of the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, however, emphasizes that while unfortunately, there is no law yet made specifically for cigarette butts, the Litter Control Act of 1989 pretty much applies to any disposal items of any nature, including cigarette butts.

“Of course, if I can tell everyone to stop smoking, I would, but obviously, we can’t do that… People just have to be responsible and more disciplined when it comes to littering. I know a few people who actually pocket their cigarette butts if they can’t locate a trash bin when they are done smoking, and I don’t see a problem with that.”

CNMI ICC coordinator Colleen Flores, of BECQ’s Division of Coastal Resources Management, echoes the call for everyone to be responsible, as well as for a change in our ways, noting that the problem with cigarette butts is that although they are small, there are way too many of them.

Small but terrible not just for the environment, but for everyone’s health as well, behavioral change is needed to tackle this problem.

“Get a reusable pocket-sized ashtray (yes, that’s a thing!), properly dispose of your cigarette butts in nearby trash cans, or speak up when you see someone flicking their cigarette butts in our environment,” Flores advices.

What about other trash?

Of the 10 most-collected trash during the coastal cleanup, aside from cigarette butts, seven are plastic: bottle caps, food wrappers, bottles, cutlery, straws and stirrers, grocery bags, and other plastic bags; and two are metal or tin: beverage cans and metal bottle caps.

According to BECQ, plastic bottles (including plastic caps) and beverage cans are recyclable. This means they can be recycled in recycling facilities on island, one of which is even located at the transfer station.

“Always look for the Recycle symbol… Please keep in mind that your recyclables must be clean and dry before dropping them off. If you are unsure about your recyclables being accepted, you can always call the respected recycling facility and inquire with them first before heading down,” Naputi added.

Recyclables can be dropped off at the recycling facilities. Naputi, however, cautions everyone to verify first with the respected facility if they will accept your recyclables. “Some will accept aluminum cans and plastic bottles but might not accept metal or they might only accept scrap metal but not plastic bottles etc.”

BECQ currently lists seven (7) permitted recycling centers in the CNMI on their website, some of which offer a buyback program for certain recyclables. The recycling centers are Rising Star/Man Joint Venture (paper, plastic, aluminum, glass, steel and metal), Art Man Corporation (cardboard, aluminum, various metals), and Ericco Ent. (aluminum and steel cans, and various metals).

Triple Star (aluminum, various metals, automative lead-acid batteries, electronics), FSM Recycling (aluminum, lead-acid battery, various metals, junk vehicles and car parts), Atkins Microl Toyota (used lead-acid batteries), and Hans Corp. (used lead-acid batteries) are also included.

“As for the other trash items listed on the Top 10, they are unfortunately not recyclable… For other non-recyclables, reduction at source is the best way to go. If you can find ways to use less plastic, especially single-use plastic, that would make a difference.”

To reduce the amount of plastic we use on a daily basis, BECQ suggests switching out plastic straws, bags, and cutlery for reusable ones, bringing reusable bags for grocery shopping, or bringing your own reusable cup/flask to your favorite coffee/tea spot.

DCRM also has been implementing the Plastic-Free Marianas program, for businesses, and for those in the community who are in need of guidance on how to do away with single-use plastics at home and/or work.

“All in all, the main message we can give out to the public is to try and reduce your waste by looking for alternatives to plastics and wherever you go, please dispose of your trash properly in a public trash bin, and if you can’t find a trash bin near you, take your trash home with you… Anywhere you go, always collect your trash.”

For Saipan Southern High School student Ray Babauta Jr., the worst environmental problem here on island is litter with people dumping trash just about everywhere.

Babauta, along with his schoolmates, volunteered to pick up trash along Makaka Beach —behind the Imperial Pacific International building—in Garapan last Saturday, May 8, as part of the beach cleanup organized by the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality every first Saturday of the month.

“We should all just volunteer to help clean the community, together as one, unite and just do whatever to keep our place clean,” Babauta said. “It’s important to keep the environment clean so that trash doesn’t pile up. That can cause global warming and changes in the climate, and can give Saipan a bad look to foreigners, people from different places.”

The most common waste that volunteers pick up during beach cleanups are cigarette butts, beer cans, and plastics. But, when responding to reports on illegal dumping in common areas and remote areas on island, the most common that BECQ finds range from household trash, furniture, appliances, and gallon containers of used cooking oil.

In an interview, environmental specialist Marlyn Naputi highlighted a major issue that ties directly with proper solid waste management—the lifespan of the CNMI’s sole landfill. To date, cell 1, the largest of the cells, and which has been used for 18 years now since the Marpi landfill opened in 2003, is short of a few feet being full as it nears its maximum 206-foot capacity. Cell 2, set for a rehabilitation project beginning June, is good for 15 years, and will be used next.

“To extend the lifespan of our only landfill, waste reduction and recycling is the best way to start. When we practice reducing, reusing, and recycling our waste, we help send less waste to the landfill thus, extending its life,” Naputi explained.

Reduce, recycle, and refuse!

Proper waste management begins at home. We can lessen the amount of trash we generate by reducing the amount of products we buy, by recycling, and by refusing to consume things we do not really need—and that end up unused and just stored somewhere, or even worse, dumped.

Businesses have started to embrace being green, with no less than Saipan Chamber of Commerce president Joseph C. Guerrero challenging businesses to take steps to reduce consumption, stressing that businesses should always strive to make a conscious effort to conserve, reduce the use, and look out for the environment, because without a good environment, businesses will suffer.

To encourage more businesses to use less waste, the Division of Coastal Resources Management has the “Plastic Free Marianas” pledge program, to address the environmental and public health impacts of single-use plastics on island, to share the benefits of generating less waste, and to adopt a zero-waste lifestyle.

There are also BECQ-permitted recycling facilities, where people can drop their recyclable wastes: the DPW Recycling Center at the Marpi Transfer Station (322-2745), FSM Recycling (322-2700), and Art Man Recycling (234-8079). Used car batteries (lead-acid) are accepted at Atkins Kroll (234-5911) and at Hans Corp. (234-7586).

Further, the Micronesian Islands Nature Alliance has a program called “Adopt-a Bin” where recycling and mixed waste bins are placed at popular beach sites to help guide people on waste segregation.

“While practicing waste reduction and recycling has its benefits, when it comes to littering and illegal dumping, it comes down to an individual’s consideration for their environment. Does he or she have respect for the health of the environment?” Naputi raised.

Enforcing litter control

The CNMI has an existing law against those who litter. Public Law 19-53, or the Commonwealth Littering Act of 1989, as amended, has a penalty fee of up to $5,000 to anyone who litters. Penalties are assessed based on the weight, type, and location of when the littering took place.

CRM Permit manager and chief enforcement officer Sam Sablan, in an interview with Saipan Tribune, stressed the need to focus more on litter control to curb the trash problem all over the island.

“We should focus more on litter control, rather than beach cleanups, because beach cleanups enable picnickers to just rely on cleaners to do this on a monthly basis, and it’s really not working. We’ve been doing this for many years and, in fact, it hasn’t improved, it’s gotten worse.”

Sablan led the group of BECQ volunteers at the Makaka Beach cleanup last Saturday.

“The next step would be focusing on enforcement—having enforcement officers to come out here on the weekends, to work on weekends, enforce and give citations as necessary, encouraging people to dispose their waste properly, doing a lot of outreach.”

Sablan also stressed that proper solid waste management is a shared responsibility, not just the government.

“It’s a responsibility of all people, yet people rely on the government. Then, we can focus more of a lot of our efforts into developments and regulating the developments rather than picking up trash, which should be everybody’s responsibility.”

Help keep the island clean and report any littering and illegal dumping to BECQ at 664-8500.