Samoa Recycling and Waste Management Association

About SRWMA

Samoa Recycling & Waste Management Association (SRWMA) is a recycling association founded in 2017 with 42 members, including recycling companies, distributors and manufacturers in Samoa. SRWMA was formed to address the recyclable waste being put into Samoa's Tafaigata Landfill. Before SRWMA there were no processes or facilities to deal with recyclable waste and all of it would end up being put in the landfill or illegally dumped or burned. With only five more years until the landfill is estimated to reach max capacity, SRWMA was set up to intercept the recyclable domestic and commercial waste going into the landfill, such as plastic, waste oil, end of life vehicles, electronic waste and glass waste.

SRWMA's vision is to live in a zero-waste Samoa, which we do through promoting awareness of the 3Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle and return. We do this by educating youth on proper recycling and waste management practices through school competitions and tours of our recycling facility.

What we do

Recycling Stations

Plastic pollution has been identified by the UN as one of the biggest challenges the world is facing, impacting both the environment and human health. Samoa is a small island, but it produces a high amount of plastic, with each person using 34.5 kilograms of plastic per year. 4.1 kilograms of this is estimated to end up in the ocean due to improper waste management.

SRWMA is working toward reducing the number of plastic both in the ocean and landfill. SRWMA has 55 recycling cages distributed at schools, supermarkets, hotels, sporting venues and government buildings across the island of Upolu. SRWMA separates polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic and processes it at the recycling plant for shredding into pellets. Alternatively, plastic bottles are washed, bailed and exported to be recycled at larger-scale recycling plants in Australia.

The recycling cages have been donated by the Coca-Cola Foundation and the New Zealand High Commission.

Samoa Waste Oil Management Programme (SWOMP)

Approximately 600,000 liters of oil is imported into Samoa every year. A large majority becomes waste oil once it has been used in cars, trucks and machinery. Until SRWMA, there was no way to recycle used oil. Instead, waste oil has commonly been discarded through illegal dumping or burning. Oil is used every day in powering vehicles, buses and heavy machinery to keep Samoa running. Motor oil does not wear out. Instead, it gets dirt inside of it that makes it unusable. Mining for oil is extremely destructive to the environment, and recycling oil saves a valuable resource.

To confront this issue, SRWMA launched SWOMP to address the waste oil issue in 2018. SRWMA collects the waste oil and stores it for export. The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment is the key stakeholder in this program, with support from the Secretariat of the Pacific Environment Programme (SPREP), Swire Shipping, Nissan Samoa, the United Nations Environmental Program and the US Embassy.

E-Waste

Electronic waste (commonly referred to as e-waste) is any electronic or electrical equipment that is damaged or no longer working. This includes old fridges, heat pumps, computers and washing machines that usually end up in the landfill. E-waste contains toxic and hazardous substances, such as mercury and refrigerant, that pose severe risks to human and environmental health when put into landfills.

SRWMA has dismantled more than 12,000 electronics within the last four years. International Electronic Waste Day was celebrated on the 14th of October, 2022. To honour this, an e-waste drive was organised throughout Samoa to collect all types of e-waste. SRWMA set up promotional booths in central Apia to encourage the public to drop off their personal e-waste. This drive included collecting e-waste from Savai'i as well as Upolu. 334 units of electronic waste weighing 2,791 kilograms were collected.

SRWMA aims to break barriers on e-waste in Samoa by continuing to work with big brands to arrange a take back system for e-waste in Samoa.

Glass Recycling

Glass waste is the second largest waste stream by mass in Samoa. There is a lack of an alternative to landfilling due to its low-value and limited tradable volumes. As part of United Nations Development Program’s Circular Economy for the Recovery Of Waste (CERO Waste) Programme, SRWMA piloted a glass crushing program, turning glass into sand used in concrete blocks, asphalt and headstones. The machinery was provided by the US Embassy.

One tonne of glass sand was donated to the Samoan Conservation Society to use in the Vailima Botanical Gardens Walkway to make the space wheelchair accessible.

Site Visits

SRWMA welcomes school groups and organisations to tour our recycling grounds and facilities to learn how SRWMA deals with different waste streams. The Recycling Facility was funded by the Japan Embassy and is open to children, students and businesses interested in learning about recycling. The schools who placed in the school recycling competition received a tour of the facility, which included learning about the importance of recycling, the different type of PET plastic and how they are processed.

Our tours include a tour of the landfill, education on the importance of the 3Rs + return, and education about reducing waste intake. Our aim is to inspire the youth to see the importance of recycling and ensuring that they do not contribute to harmful behaviour like littering, dumping or the burning of rubbish.

SRWMA in the news

Two million discarded plastic bottles collected Samoa Recycling and Waste Management Association has collected close to two million single-use plastic bottles but this is nowhere close to the amount of plastic waste out there.The S.R.W.M.A. has been collecting different types of plastic waste for years with the majority being plastic bottles a...

Faalauiloa le pulega fou a le Samoa Recycling & Waste Management Association - Radio Polynesia SamoaIa faaauau pea galuega lavea’i mo Samoa ma le lalolagi atoa, talu aafiaga mai lapisi pei o plastic, ua faalauiloa mai ai foi ma le […]

Over 1,000 kg of waste collected in Apia A rubbish collection initiative by a company has led to the collection of over 1,000 kilograms of general waste and green waste in and around Apia.The initiative by Swire Shipping Ltd revolved around the 5 June World Environment Day and 8 June World Ocean's Day celebrations and was led by the fir...

SRWMA gets vehicle support from JapanThe Samoa Recycling and Waste Management Association (SRWMA) is the recipient of vehicles to support and enhance recycling activities in Samoa.The donation of the support vehicles comes courtesy of the Embassy of Japan with a handover ceremony held at the SRWMA recycling facility at Tafaigata. Th...

N.Z. volunteers supporting sustainable practicesLast week the recently appointed Te Tumu Whakarae (CEO) of Volunteer Service Abroad, Kate Wareham travelled to Samoa and met with their partners working towards sustainable environmental practices. Accompanied by the VSA Marketing Communication Manager, Sarah Maxwell, they met with Adi Tafunai, F...

Introducing ‘glassphalt’ roads – a smashing idea? | United Nations Development Programme

SRWMA Receives $43,000 Funding to help with Recycling in Samoa - Radio Polynesia SamoaThe New Zealand High Commission has provided SAT $43,000 to support Samoa Recycling and Waste Management Association (SRWMA) to procure and distribute 20 recycling stations […]

Organic waste on association's radarThe processing of organic waste in Samoa will come under the radar of the Samoa Recycling and Waste Management Association this year, says the organisation's executive.The S.R.W.M.A. President Marine Keil, who was retained as the head of the association this year, told the Samoa Observer that org...

Leading in waste management: S.R.W.M.A.The efforts of the Samoa Recycling and Waste Management Association in tackling Samoa’s plastic pollution problem has been one of the organisation’s success stories this year.Some of their highlights this year include the opening of the first-ever recycling facility in Samoa and the exporting of ...

Finding hope in a wastelandHow a recycling facility is doing more than just managing waste in Samoa

One tonne of crushed glass for Memorial GardenThe Samoa Conservation Society (S.C.S) has taken a lead in putting recycling to practical use by using crushed glass to build the new wheelchair access trail at the Art Whistler Memorial Garden.In April the Samoa Recycling and Waste Management Association (S.R.W.M.A) successfully executed its fir...

Waste management awareness neededThere should be more awareness on the effects of burning rubbish and disposing of waste in the community, says Samoa Conservation Society and Samoa Waste and Recycling Management Association.SCS President James Atherton told the Samoa Observer on Thursday that burning and dumping of trash is bad ...

Recycling project focused on changing consumer behaviourA new collaboration is bringing together three organisations seeking to create a new community-led initiative promoting proper waste management practices. The initiative is the result of cooperation between the Samoa Recycling and Waste Management Association (S.R.W.M.A.), the National University...

New plastic, can recycling scheme to be launchedSamoans will soon be able to recycle their plastic bottles and cans as a result of a grant by The Coca-Cola Foundation to the Samoa Recycling and Waste Management Association (S.R.W.M.A).The year-long grant, worth around $100,000, will enable the Association to establish the first plastic bottle ...

Awards

SRWMA was nominated as a finalist for the 2023 APCO Consumer Education Awards for the School Recycling Competitions we ran in 2021 and 2022.

2019 People of the Year: Marina Keil

SRWMA has been awarded two national awards for its contribution to the environment from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in both 2019 and again in November 2021.

The SRWMA president at the time, Marina Keil was awarded Person of the Year in 2019 for estblishing SRWMA and the work she has put in to bring it to where it is today. Marina has served as the SRWMA president since its establishment in 2017.