Since the publication of the first Pacific Regional Solid Waste Management Strategy in 2005, the region has made progress in the way it manages waste. From the endorsement of national solid waste management strategies and plans, and enactment of legislation and regulations, to the establishment of sanitary landfills, closure of dumpsites, and improvement of waste collection systems, countries have shown how success can be achieved with a little hard work, determination, and most crucially with political support.
Despite this progress, solid waste management continues to be a high priority work area for the Pacific Islands and for SPREP. Each country needs to move towards a system of solid waste management that can be sustained without reliance on external aid. Given the limited resources in many countries, the geographical constraints and isolation, this self-sustaining system should be based primarily on the sound principles of waste avoidance and minimization.
