Concerned citizens in Samoa have established a new association calling for better waste management.
Plastic in the ocean. Photo: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Cesar Harada
A spokesperson for the Samoa Recycling Waste Management Association, Marina Keil says Samoa does not practice recycling despite an increase in plastic waste polluting roadsides, river sides and beaches.
She says plastic bags and drink bottles in particular are negatively impacting Samoa's natural environment.
"It's not only Samoa that's been affected by the plastic rubbish...it is a world-wide problem. We all know that the plastic...finds it's way into marine life...it's become a problem with the fish in the sea where it comes out and we get to eat [it]," said Marina Keil.