Landfill team delivers progress report to Legislature

With approximately 80,000 tons of waste created each year on Saipan, it is vitally important that the new Integrated Solid Waste Management System being designed for the Marpi Sanitary Landfill meet high standards for environmental quality.

In fact, such a system for Saipan could become a model for other Pacific islands in the future. These were the recommendations made by the Department of Public Works (DPW) and its consultant Harding Lawson Associates (HLA) in a progress report to a joint session of the Commonwealth Legislature and Solid Waste Task Force.

Lieutenant Governor Jesus R. Sablan, chair of the Solid Waste Task Force, stated that the landfill project is one of the Commonwealth’s most important projects.

“While our initial goal was primarily to close the Puerto Rico Dump and open a new sanitary landfill, we have expanded our expectations for the community by creating a comprehensive plan that will benefit our residents in many more ways. We have sought to make waste disposal more convenient and efficient for our community, and are making recycling a priority to protect the long term health of our islands,” said Mr. Sablan.

“The task force feels confident that the new system will enhance the quality of life for the members of our community and visitors, and even enhance our attractiveness as a tourist destination because it will protect and improve our environment,” he added.

DPW’s Solid Waste Manager John Harder informed the legislature that the design work is now 60% complete for the new landfill, and is expected to open by next year. However, operations at the new facility will bear no resemblance to those at the Puerto Rico Dump.

“The project is being designed with environmental soundness, cost-effectiveness, capacity, and flexibility for future improvements in mind,” explained Mr. Harder.

“It will include facilities to maximize recycling and composting. It will also include a waste-to-energy incineration facility, capable of generating its own power for the landfill, as well as disposing of 35 tons per day in a manner that meets the highest air quality standards,” he continued.

Mr. Harder also said there will be a comprehensive system of transfer points in order to handle the traffic burden of the 100,000 plus vehicles that visit the current dump each year.

In order to ease traffic leading to Marpi, the project will include neighborhood convenience centers and a centrally located transfer station / material recovery facility in order to make it easier for the community to properly dispose of its garbage. The site chosen for the enclosed transfer station is adjacent to the PSS
location in Lower Base.

“The site was recommended to us by hotels and other businesses which have a valid concern of minimizing visibility to tourists,” said Ted Hawley, P.E., the project manager for HLA. “Still, we had to put it in a central place that is convenient for most of the community.” This facility will be the place where consolidated loads can be hauled from the transfer station to the landfill.

The plans include recycling of such materials as cardboard, scrap metal, composting of landscape materials and other items. This is expected to reduce the overall waste in the new state-of-the-art facilities.

A comprehensive community education plan is being designed to inform residents and businesses of environmental, regulatory and financial impacts of the new integrated solid waste management system.

According to Delyn Kies, HLA manager of Solid Waste & Recycling, the project team and DPW began work last week with volunteer members of the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands on a pilot project to help large businesses with their conservation practices.

“We are pleased that two large hotels have been extremely cooperative in welcoming us to examine their facilities and take part in our survey, and we have other volunteers as well. In about a month we will be presenting them with a report which will help identify specific ways they can reduce the islands’ waste stream,” he said.

“We are making recycling a priority to protect the long term health of our islands, and we will open a new facility that will serve our need to dispose of our waste without the negative visual and environmental impacts that the Puerto Rico dump has had,” he added.

Additional members of the project team include such local firms as Azuma Ltd., Henry K. Pangelinan & Associates, Jess T. Lizama & Associates, Meridian Land Surveying, Micronesian Environmental Services, Geotesting, Inc., and Sunset Advertising Group, Inc.