By Rhealyn C. Pojas
The Solid Waste Management Division (SWMD) office had noted an increase in the volume of garbage disposed every year here in Palau.
Solid Waste Management Division Chief Calvin Ikesiil said in an interview with Island Times on Tuesday that the rate of waste disposed at the M-Dock landfill had raised to an average of 34 tons a day.
[restrict]
Ikesiil said that they attributed this number to commercialization in Palau, explaining that an estimated 60% amount of solid waste disposed at the M-Dock landfill comes from commercial establishments and the rest comes from residential buildings.
However, according to Ikesiil, now that the rate had increased they had also double their efforts in recycling.
Based on the baseline survey conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)expert team in 2017, the average waste generated in Palau is at 36.12 tons per day where 32.77 tons came from Koror. Out of these rubbish, 29.97 tons reached the M-Dock every day, if the special collection is excluded. [/restrict]