Perception of waste in Samoa

Abstract

Waste management has been identified as a major issue in Pacific Island Countries (PICs) facing global change. The Samoan waste management system was studied from the community perspective through surveys conducted in villages around Upolu and Savai’i. The aim was to understand how adults used the waste management system, what issues they could identify and how they understood the relationship between waste and the environment. The surveys showed that the existing infrastructures were being used but also revealed that other disposal methods, affecting the environment negatively remained and that littering was a problem Samoans were calling to be fixed.