Around 6000 tonnes - or almost one-fifth of the CNMI's waste - is plastic waste. Photo: https://www.pmcsa.ac.nz
The Commonwealth of Northern Marianas (CNMI) on average generates around 34,000 tonnes of waste per year. Of that total, around 6000 tonnes - or almost one-fifth of the CNMI's waste - is plastic waste.
This, according to the CNMI Office of Planning and Development (ODP) which recently conducted a waste characterization study for the islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.
OPD made the findings available on the occasion of Earth Day last Monday and it is marking the event with the theme "Planet Versus Plastics" this year.
OPD is charting a sustainable path forward for plastic waste recycling and reduction in the CNMI and is leading the development of the CNMI Comprehensive Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan.
The plan sets forth a detailed five-year plan to manage Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and the Northern Islands' solid waste, including plastic.
Proposed priority projects within the plan to address the CNMI's plastic waste include developing recycling programs for offices and schools, citizens convenience centers with recycling, and an environmental education and recycling center.
Through stakeholder input and close collaboration with OPD's planning partners and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), work is ongoing to ensure that the draft plan complies with the EPA's standards and that the projects and objectives within the plan are tailored to the CNMI.