Waste segregation in schools mulled

The Division of Solid Waste Management is planning to implement a $500,000-waste segregation project in all CNMI public and private schools—a move that will not only kick off the practice of separating different types of wastes but also one that will help prolong the lifespan of the Marpi landfill.

Opened in early 2003, the landfill now has an estimated 140,000 tons of trash, which could have been 25-percent more had it not been for waste recycling.

SWM assistant manager Robert Jordan said the government plans to build four more cells in the landfill at an estimated cost of over $10 million. The construction of new cells, which will be among future Capital Improvement projects, will bring the total number of cells to six and extend the landfill’s lifespan to approximately 20 to 25 years.

Jordan said the recycling project would help reduce the waste going to the landfill, which has been estimated at 50,000 tons per year. He said he would present the waste separation plan before the Public School System’s board sometime in December.

“When young kids learn, we teach the next generation. It’s hard to change old habits. They [the children] come home and they tell their parents, ‘we want to recycle at home.’ That [recycling] is more likely to spread that way,” Jordan said.

Under Jordan’s proposal, there will be five bins in each classroom, each for separating the following types of waste: trash, plastics, paper, cardboard, bottles and cans. Except for trash, all other wastes could be recycled, Jordan said. Each school will also have a composting bin, where food wastes and dried leaves shall be placed.

Most first-world countries practice waste segregation in homes and public places, Jordan said. He said the project aims to start a similar practice in the CNMI.

Jordan proposes that the Department of Public Works initially fund the project, which is estimated to cost over $500,000. He also said he would tap into federal grants to start the project as soon as the funding becomes available, possibly early next year.

Jordan said he was overwhelmed by this year’s recycling contest participated in by the CNMI’s schools, which competed in turning in the biggest volume of recyclable wastes, such as metal, cardboard, plastics, glass, and paper.