Waste management in an atoll of Tuamotus

Person who picks up wastte along the beach.

The plastic found in Kauehi.

Today our project will be on the waste in atoll of Tuamotus. So the first part describes what is an atoll, in the second part we talk about the plastic in the Tuamotus. And the last part is about the waste management in Tuamotus. 

By Tea Yieng Kow and Zacharie Gabriel

An atoll is a small island without mountains. There is a lagoon in the middle of the atoll. Because this island is shaped like a ring

The plastic in Tuamotu
On May 24, the inhabitants of the the atoll of Kauehi discovered 300 and 400 plastic bags stranded on the reef. The plastic came from a Chinese boat. The employees of the town hall picked up and stored it at the power station. This waste was a disaster for the atoll. The atoll is classified as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO, along with the Fakarava, especially for their lagoons and their endemic fauna.

– We have a label to keep, says Kauehi's mayor-delegate Teihoarii Nui.

– The whole population puts their heart into it. But if it comes from the outside, we can not help it. Everyone is indignant. 

How the waste is managed
Tuamotu has launched beach cleansing actions at twenty atolls, coupled with sensitization sessions for atoll populations on waste management. The atolls concerned are: Fakarava, Raraka, Niau, Aratika, Kauehi, Toau, Arutua, Apataki, Kaukura, Takume, Marokau, Tatakoto, Reao, Pukarua, Tureia, Mangareva, Takaroa, Takapoto, Manihi and Rangiroa.

It is estimated that 17 cubic meters of garbage will be collected on each island, thanks to volunteers who participate in these days, and paid staff recruited locally to do the pickup for a whole week.

As in Tuamotu there is no central to sort the waste. All this waste is therefor sent to Tahiti to be sorted and processed there.

---