MAJURO — The trash situation here in the Marshall Islands capital is in crisis with a battle brewing between the local and national governments over management of the island’s dump.
Majuro Mayor Mudge Samuel issued an ultimatum to national government Public Works Minister Rien Morris, saying that the local government is halting use of Majuro’s dump “until the dump site is properly managed” and until Public Works provides more funding assistance for the garbage collection operation.
But Morris said in an interview on Wednesday that Public Works has been working with and helping the local government. He indicated that he was surprised by the ultimatum, saying that if funding is needed, it has to go through a Cabinet review process that takes at least a week for action.
In Majuro, the local government handles garbage collection, while the national government manages the landfill dump site. The national government also provided the local government with the large, movable garbage bins, and pickup trucks to operate the trash collection.
Samuel is demanding that Public Works provide an additional $100,000 for maintenance of local government garbage equipment. Samuel maintains that because of Public Works’ negligence in maintaining the dump site, the local government is experiencing $10,000 a month in costs from damaged equipment, including the need to repeatedly repair and replace tires.
“Almost every month Majuro Atoll local government has to replace brand new tires due to negligence of the operator for the compactor at the dump site,” Samuel wrote to Morris. “The bin trucks are operating over 16 hours per day…. If one or both bin trucks break down for just one week, trash on Majuro will be scattered everywhere. This is a problem not only for the local government but for the national government since 50 percent of Marshall Islands population resides on Majuro.”
Morris said that the national government has provided the local government with all of its garbage collection equipment and assists with some funding, including assistance on tires. Morris said that an additional 10 trash bins have also been purchased.
He said that according to an agreement, the local government is responsible for trash collection while Public Works runs the dump site. He also said that he sees the dump being managed by the local government, but at some future point when it is ready to take over.
However, the mayor’s assistant, Russell Langrine, indicated that the local government has prepared a proposal that will be presented to President Kessai Note for the local government to take over management of the dump.
While the local government’s move is aimed at the immediate-–and ongoing-–problem of what it claims is poor dump management, it also highlights another, bigger-picture problem facing the nation’s capital: the oceanside dump now in use as the “Majuro Dump” is full and overflowing. A new dump site and new solutions for solid waste management are called for, and the local government is hoping that it’s going to be the agent of change.
Samuel told Morris that he understands that Public Works is receiving $2.8 million for operations and maintenance, a causeway at Kwajalein, and outer island projects, “while Majuro only gets $100,000 for 15 trash bins.” Samuel said that because of this funding imbalance, “Majuro Atoll local government is now demanding that Public Works allocate $100,000 to help us maintain our bin trucks and to help pay for tires to keep our trucks running.”
Within just two days of the local government’s halt of garbage collection, the approximately 15 trash bins stationed in various parts of the island were already filled and spilling garbage onto the ground, causing an unsightly mess.
