Technical reference“Basic Concepts of Landfill Site”
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
From the experience of the 2011 East Japan earthquake and tsunami, Japan could learn various lessons
and practices regarding the disaster waste management. Although Japan did not have any knowledge
and experience of disaster waste management, all the disaster waste could be treated within three years
and most of the waste could be utilized using various experiences of ordinary waste landfill operations.
After this experience, in Japan, two laws about waste management and disaster countermeasures wereamended in 2015 at the same time, which means that the ordinary waste landfill operation can be a key
issue for the success of disaster waste management technically and legally.
In these decades, the number of natural disasters is increasing not only in Japan but also all over theworld, according to climate change. Although the existing techniques and equipment should varydepending on the countries and regions, the basic concepts and ideas can help establish disaster waste
management frameworks, especially in Asian and Pacific countries where natural disasters often occur.

1.2 Objective of this guideline
To cultivate the preparation for disaster waste management, this technical guideline aims at
introducing the basic concepts of waste landfilling in Japan.

1.3 Landfilling techniques in Japan
Table 1 shows the typical classification of landfilling techniques in Japan.
Table 1 Classification of landfilling techniques in Japan
Landfill method
Anaerobic landfill
Anaerobic sanitary landfill
Improved anaerobic sanitary
landfill
Semi-aerobic landfill
Aerobic landfill

1)

Anaerobic

Aerobic

Function
Cover soil

Liner system

Leachate
treatment




























Anaerobic landfill
The waste is merely dumped into the pits that were excavated at the level ground or valley. In
this case, the waste is inundated and kept anaerobic.

1

2)

Anaerobic sanitary landfills
This is also the anaerobic type landfill that has the additional option in the structure of several
layers of cover soil (sandwiched) therein. Waste is kept in anaerobic condition.

3)

Improved anaerobic sanitary landfill
An improved type structure that has the water collection pipe system at the bottom for thedrainage. The moisture content is higher, while the waste is kept anaerobic.

4)

Semi-aerobic sanitary landfill
A structure that has the sufficient size of water collection pipes, with their opening in contact
with the air and the circumference covered with cobblestones. Moisture content is smaller, andthe oxygen supplied through water collecting pipes keeps the landfill aerobic.

5)

Aerobic sanitary landfill
A structure that has the air blowing pipe system, in addition to the water collection pipes,
through which the air is mechanically blown in. The inside waste is kept much aerobic.

1.4 History of waste landfilling and challenges tackled
In this section, the history of waste landfilling in Japan is briefly introduced to clarify the technical andenvironmental issues raised in each era. Table 2 shows the history of waste landfilling with somerelevant laws and regulations.
Table 2 History of waste landfilling in Japan
Era
Critical target (phase) of landfill
operation–1950s–1960s–1970s
Improvement
Pollution
Promotion ofof public health control anda recyclingpreservation of oriented society
the living
environment

Major
waste
landfilledCombustible
Incombustible
Incinerated residue
Type of
Anaerobic
landfilling
Anaerobic sanitary
Improved anaerobic
sanitarySemi-aerobic sanitary
Relevant laws and regulations

2







–1980s–1990s

2000s–












1900 FilthCleansingLaw1954 Public
Cleansing
Law





1970 Waste
1988
1991, 1997
2000, 2017
Disposal Law Amendment
Amendment
Amendment(WDL)
to Guidelines
to WDLto WDL
1976
2000 basic act
for Landfills 1998
Amendment
Amendmentonestablishing a
to WDLto Technicalsound
1977 TechnicalStandards formaterialStandards for
Landfills
cycle society
Landfills
1979 Guidelines
2001 Directions
for Landfills
for Landfill
Planning andConstruction
2015
Amendmentto WDL andDisasterCountermeas
ures BasicAct

Phase: 1

Improvement of public health (–1960’s)

1) Historical background・ Up until the 1950s, waste was merely dumped into depressions and shallow alongside
the seashore without any cover soil or water treatment facility.
・ Due to Japan’s remarkable economic recovery after the War and the diffusion ofchemical fertilizers and rootage of the hygienic concept, the recycle of organic wastes
to farmland gradually decreased.
2) Environmental problems
・ Foul odor
・ Infestation of flys which bring the epidemic・ (Ground)water pollution by leachate
・ Smoke and odor by open burning
3) Major waste landfilled
・ In the 1950s, combustible wastes accounted for 70 to 80% of waste dumped, and thewater content was over 50%.
・ Its lower calorific value was at lower levels than that of the natural limit of 500 to 800
kcal/kg.
4) Type of landfilling・ Open dumping was the major operation of landfilling.
・ Although incineration of waste was recommended, the equipment and specifications
were not regulated, and, therefore, open burning of waste was often done.
Phase: 2

Pollution control and preservation of the living environment (1960’s–)

1) Historical background・ In the 1960s, the amount of municipal and industrial waste generated dramaticallyincreased due to the rapid economic growth as shown in Fig. 1.
・ While incineration was promoted since the 1950s, the construction of incineration
facilities was not enough against the increase in waste generation.

3

Waste generation

Waste generation (x106 tons)

25

National disposable income

45

20

40
35
30

15

25
10

20
15
10

5

5
0

1955

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

0

National disposable income (x109 yen)

50

Years

Figure 1 Waste generation and national disposable income in Japan from 1955 to 1980
2) Environmental problems
・ Due to industrialization, the air and water pollution caused by toxic chemicals such as
methyl mercury and cadmium emerged.
・ Because the public awareness of pollution was formed, the pollution caused by waste
landfills also started attracting general attention.
・ In 1964, the spillage of polluted water from a landfill in the Tokyo Metropolitan area
was revealed.
・ The fly infestation became a serious problem.
3) Major waste landfilled
・ Combustible waste was still the major waste which accounted for more than 50%;
however, the proportion of incombustible waste increased because of the increase inconstruction and demolition (C&D) waste which was caused by the population
concentrations in megacities.
・ After the 1970s, the proportion of combustible waste decreased due to the spread ofincineration facilities. The combustible waste accounted for approximately 50%, andthe incombustible waste and the incineration residue accounted for 20–30%.
4) Type of landfilling・ To solve the environmental problems, the application of cover soil got started and theleachate treatment system gradually prevailed in the 1960s.
・ The mainstream of landfill methods started to change from the anaerobic landfill tothe anaerobic sanitary landfill, in which cover soil was applied periodically.

4

Figure 2 Yumenoshima coastal landfill where fire and fly infestation often occurred due toorganic waste
・ After a series of research started in the late 1960s, in the 1970s, the number of thesemi-aerobic (Fukuoka-method) landfills rapidly increased.

Figure 3 Basic concept of: (Left) anaerobic landfill and (right) semi-aerobic landfill. (HP of
Fukuoka Facts)
・ The volume reduction treatment such as incineration and/or shredding/sorting process
also became popular with the increased difficulty to secure the new landfill space.
・ In 1977, three landfills—inert waste, controlled (non-hazardous) waste, andhazardous waste—were defined to appropriately manage hazardous wastes.

Phase: 3

Promotion of a recycling-oriented society (late 1980’s–)

1) Historical background・ Due to the economic growth, the amount of waste generation increased. Because of
the insufficient capacity of the volume reduction facilities, the amount of combustible
waste dumped into landfills again increased.
・ Because of the public awareness of pollution which may be caused by waste landfills,
it got much more difficult to construct new landfills.

5

・ Accordingly, the remaining capacity and the remaining acceptable period of domestic
landfills dramatically decreased for both municipal and industrial wastes as shown in
Figure 4.

Remaining capacity

12

250

10

200

8

150

6

100

4

50

2

0

0

1978
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95

Remaining capacity (x106 m3)

Remaining acceptable period

Remaining acceptable period (year)

300

Year

Remaining capacity

Remaining capacity (x106 m3)

Remaining acceptable period

3.5
3

200

2.5
150

2
1.5

100

1
50
0

0.5
82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95

Remaining acceptable period (year)

250

0

Year

Figure 4 Remaining capacity and remaining acceptable period in Japan from 1978 to 1995:(Top) for municipal solid waste and (bottom) for industrial waste landfill
・ By the amendment to the waste disposal law, the main target of this law was changed
to the limitation of waste generation, adequate separation (sorting), and utilization.
・ In 2000, the basic act on establishing a sound material-cycle society was established.
2) Environmental problems
・ In the 1980s, the pollution by dioxin generated by incineration started attracting
general attention.
6

・ The target of waste management started to shift from “proper waste management” to“reduction in the waste volume”.
・ Popularization of dry flue gas treatment device that sprays slaked lime inside thefurnace to remove hydrogen chloride gas in incineration treatment facilities resulted
in a mixture of a large amount of calcium and chloride ion in landfills. Also, salt
pollution occurred near water treatment facilities and in the downstream areas of theeffluent treatment facilities.
・ Thorough waste separation (sorting) resulted in the waste ground containing a lot ofplastics where the quality of leachate deteriorates, and the strength is not enough tobe utilized for construction.
40

Amount (x106 tons)

35
30
25

Waste amount reduced
Waste amount landfilled

20
15
10
5
0
1975

1985

1995

2005

2015

Years
200
180

Amount (x106 tons)

160
140
Waste amount landfilled
Waste amount reduced

120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1975

1985

1995

2005

2015

Years

Figure 5 Waste amount reduced and landfilled from 1980 to 2010: (Left) municipal solid wasteand (right) industrial waste
3) Major waste landfilled
・ In 1994, the ratio of combustible waste decreased to about 20%, while that ofincombustible waste and incineration residue accounted for about 40%, respectively.

7

2 Ordinary operation and preparation of waste treatment facilities
In this chapter, ordinary operation of waste landfills and necessary preparation which can help prompt
and adequate management when disasters occur is introduced. Because every social and industrial
system would be severely damaged during and immediately after disasters, the preparedness offrameworks for disaster waste treatment and utilization needs to be carefully discussed based on
anticipated damage.

2.1 Estimating the possible amount of disaster waste generation
Estimating the possible amount of disaster waste generation is the most fundamental and core
information to establish technical frameworks of disaster waste treatment. For the estimation,
information of past disasters, types of disasters, affected areas, land use, and buildings, the weight ofeach material used in the buildings, etc. is necessary. For more details, documents of the estimation
method should be referred to.

2.2 Calculating treatable/acceptable amount of existing facilities
It is a crucial issue to figure out the capacity of existing facilities in areas of anticipated disasters. In
the countries/regions where volume reduction facilities, such as incineration, shredding, and sorting,exist, their maximum capacities need to be clarified in consideration of daily (ordinary) waste
generation and treatment. As for landfills, the acceptable volume of existing landfills must be figuredout. Since waste generation by disasters is plused to ordinary waste generation, enoughtreatable/acceptable capacities need to be always secured.

2.3 Securing where to use recycled materials
To minimize the volume and amount of waste dumped into landfills, recovery of disaster waste as
resources, such as metals, bricks, crushed concrete, woods, soil, etc., must be an important consideration(Figure 6). However, the other important consideration for recycling is to secure the application ofrecycled materials. To solve this problem, the national/local governments are required to discuss withindustries for the utilization and to establish legal frameworks to promote the utilization of recycledmaterials. For example, it is effective to utilize crushed concrete, bricks, and recovered soil and rocks inreconstruction works of infrastructure including road, embankment, and leveling. Regarding the rules
and criteria of each institution or company to accept the waste, the governments and industries should
communicate sufficiently.

8

Figure 6 Crushing of concrete debris (Otsuchi district, Iwate prefecture) (Ide 2016)

2.4 Improving resilience of facilities
Landfills and treatment facilities need to be resilient against disasters in order to accept disaster waste
immediately after disasters. In earthquake-prone countries and areas, the aseismic performance ofexisting landfills and facilities needs to be considered well and inspected regularly (Figure 7). Recovery
scenarios and necessary materials and procedures in case of damage also need to be considered.

Figure 7 Mixing cement in a landfill for improvement of aseismic performance in Japan (HP of
K.E.C. Corporation)

2.5 Treating hazardous substances
A mixture of hazardous substances in disaster waste and in dumped waste causes serious
environmental problems. Therefore, it is required to clarify how to treat hazardous substances
beforehand.

2.6 Securing land space
・ Flat and broad space for pre- and post-storage and treatment of disaster waste

9Figure 8 Examples of temporary storage site after the Great East Japan Earthquake
・ Height limitation of waste piles for prevention of spontaneous firing and exotherm (seeTable 3 and Figure 9)
Table 3 Recommended configuration of pile in temporary storage site (MoE 2017a)
Combustible waste
Degradable waste
Wood, tire, plastics, furniture, and their Trimmed branch, litter, (paddy) straw,
mixturesorganic fabric
Allowable height of pile < 5 m<2m
Allowable area of pile
< 200 m2
< 100 m2
Interval between piles>2m>2m
Typical waste

>2m
<5m

Combustible waste

Degradable waste< 200 m2

<2m
< 100 m2

Figure 9 Sketch of recommended configuration of waste pile (MoE 2017a)
・ Some equations to calculate necessary space for temporary storage site are proposed
as follows:(1)

S (m 2 ) =M (×103 t) × 87.4(m 2 /t)

where: S is necessary area of temporary storage site and M is amount of disaster waste
treated.

S (m 2 ) M (t) ρ (t/m3 ) H (m) × (1 + α )=(2)where: S is necessary are of temporary storage site, M is amount of disaster waste whichneeds to be treated, ρ is apparent specific gravity of disaster waste, H is height of waste
piles and α is a coefficient for necessary additional space for treatment. ρ ofcombustible waste and incombustible waste is proposed to be 0.4 t/m3 and 1.1 t/m3,
10respectively. H should be smaller than 5 or 2, as recommended above. α of 0.8–1.0 is
recommended based on the experiences of Japan.
Note: Since disaster waste should be generated continuously (not at the same time)
and the waste can be treated gradually, it is also reasonable to secure necessary spacefor 50% of a total amount of disaster waste.

2.7 Considering possible installation of separation (sorting), treatment and utilization
techniques
・ Various materials mixed each other in disaster waste
・ Possible separation (sorting) methods of the mixed disaster waste using daily waste
treatment techniques
・ To promote the 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle) concept in disaster waste management,
separation of materials, such as metals, bricks, crushed concrete, woods, soil, etc. isstrongly recommended.
・ For such an “advanced” treatment, treatment schemes combining manual separation,
machinery separation, and mechanical sieving need to be discussed and prepared.
・ When economically and technically possible, additional installation of (temporary)incineration facilities can also help reduction in the volume of disaster waste.

2.8 Selecting possible space used as temporary storage sites
Temporary storage sites play a very important role in disaster waste management and prompt recovery
of affected areas. It is also reasonable to discuss the necessity of temporary storage site to minimize thetotal transportation cost, as shown in Figure 10. However, temporary storage sites are basicallynecessary to remove disaster waste for recovery of affected areas.

Without temporary storage site
C1
C3

C2

With temporary storage site

Treatment
facilities

C1

C4

C3

T = C1 + C2 + C3 + C4
T: total transportation cost
C1-4: Transportation cost from each zone

C2
C4

Cm

Treatment
facilities

Temporary storage site

T’ = C1 + C2 + C3 + C4 + Ct + Co
T’: total transportation cost
C1-4: Transportation cost from each zone
Ct: Transportation cost to treatment facilities
Co: Operation cost of temporary storage site

Figure 10 Models of disaster waste treatment with and without temporary storage site (MoE2013)
REFERENCES
Fukuoka Facts, http://facts.city.fukuoka.lg.jp/en/data/the-fukuoka-method/ (accessed on 2020.3.10)
11

Ide, K. (2016): Treatment of disaster waste generated by the Great East Japan Earthquake -Treatment ofdisaster waste by member corporations of the Japan Federation of Construction Contractors-,
Japanese Geotechnical Society Special Publication, 2(2), pp.135-142.
K.E.C. Corporation, http://www.e-kec.com/disposal/earthquake_resistant/ (accessed on 2020.3.10)
Ministry of the Environment (2013): Waste treatment and recycling techniques of Japan—towards
establishing sustainable society—,https://www.env.go.jp/recycle/circul/venous_industry/ja/brochure.pdf (accessed on 2020.3.10).
Ministry of the Environment (2017a): Technical items about disaster waste treatment based on theexperience of 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake,
http://kouikishori.env.go.jp/document_video/pdf/wg_report_02.pdf (accessed on 2020.3.10).

3 Actions in case of disasters
In this chapter, necessary actions in waste landfills when a disaster occurs are explained. The key pointin case of disasters is the prompt implementation of disaster waste management actions which should beplanned before disasters. In waste landfills, the daily and total acceptable amount of the disaster waste
should be clarified immediately after the disasters, based on a rough estimation of disaster waste
generated.

3.1 Rough estimation of disaster waste generation
A rough estimation of disaster waste generation needs to be done as the first step after disasters. The
estimation should be done based on information of types of disasters, areas, land uses, and buildings, theweight of each material used in the buildings, etc. To estimate the area of affected land, satellite images
should be used when available, as shown in Figure 11. Field surveys also give information whensatellite images are not available or when the affected zones cannot be judged only by satellite images.

Figure 11 A satellite image of the damaged house (left) and actual condition (right) (MoE 2017b)

12

3.2 Health diagnostics of waste landfills and treatment facilities
The soundness of waste landfills and treatment facilities including access roads need to be ensured
before accepting wastes. When damages are observed, they need to be promptly repaired.

3.3 Securing lands for temporary storage site
Based on the positional relationship of affected areas and possible temporary storage sites which arelisted at pre-disasters, temporary storage sites need to be selected appropriately. Before accepting
disaster waste, necessary measures to prevent ground contamination and dust generation should beconsidered.

3.4 Designing treatment facilities combining separation (sorting) and crushing
Since it is impossible to newly develop equipment and facilities immediately after disasters, the designof treatment systems combining existing separation and crushing techniques can be a realistic measurefor disaster waste treatment. It is also important to flexibly re-design and change the systems inaccordance with the characteristics and proportion of disaster waste generated.

3.5 Estimating volume of waste dumped into landfills
Non-recyclable items such as incombustible waste and incineration residue need to be landfilled.
Hazardous waste including contaminated soils and rocks also needs to be adequately managed andlandfilled according to regulations of each country.
REFERENCES
Ministry of the Environment (2017b): Estimating amount of disaster waste generation using satellite
images, https://www.env.go.jp/recycle/waste/disaster/earthquake/committee2/02/no2giji_2-2.pdf(accessed on 2020.3.10).

4 situation of waste management systems in asian and Pacific Island countries
In Asian countries, waste management systems are getting better and organized in association with
their economic growth. However, in most Pacific islands, there are some common features that are quite
different from those of industrialized countries. Such features include, but are not limited to, thefollowing:- Geographical isolation (surrounded by vast ocean and poor access)- Smallness (small and limited land space)- Remoteness (far from the international markets)- Dependency (heavy reliance on imported goods and foreign aid)

13

4.1 Indonesia (as of 2016)
1) Legal framework
・ While being obligated by the waste management law of Indonesia, closure of existing
open-dumping landfills has not been completed as of 2016.
2) Pick-up and treatment
・ Waste is directly delivered to waste landfills.
・ Since the public pick-up system of municipal solid waste has not been fully provided,
illegal dumping of waste often occurs across the country.
・ Securing land space for new landfills is difficult.
3) Environmental problems
・ Infestation of mice in landfills
・ (Ground)water pollution by toxic leachate・ Cardiorespiratory diseases of residents
・ Death of more than 100 people by the collapse of piled waste

Figure 12 Waste landfill in Kota Palembang, Indonesia (NIES 2016)

4.2 Nepal (as of 2014)
1) Waste management
・ The construction of new waste treatment facilities is not enough against the increase inwaste generation attributed to the rapid urbanization of many cities.
・ Illegal dumping into empty lots and riversides is still being done not only in cities nothaving landfills but also in cities.
・ Because of such inadequate management and operation of waste landfills,
environmental pollution is often observed around the landfills.
2) Operation of landfills in Kathmandu (capital)
14

・ The semi-aerobic system (Fukuoka method) is adopted, but leachate is not treated.
・ Waste is landfilled without volume reduction such as incineration.
・ Gas vent pipes are not installed throughout landfills
・ Cover soil is insufficiently installed.
・ Fences are not installed at the boundaries of landfills.
・ Foul odor often occurs.

Figure 13 Waste landfill in Kathmandu, Nepal (JICA 2016)

4.3 Thailand (as of 2018)1) Municipal solid waste management (see Fig. 14)
・ The amount of waste generation is increasing due to urbanization.
・ The number of improper waste disposal is gradually decreasing every year. In 2018,
municipal solid waste of 10.88 million tons out of 27.82 million tons of waste generated
was properly treated and disposed.
・ While the waste pick-up service is getting well established in Bangkok, such a system
has not been fully provided.
・ The incineration treatment is also used at the solid waste collecting center in Nhong
Khaem, Bangkok.
・ In 2018, there were 3205 solid waste disposal and transfer sites, with 2786 sites still in
operation and another 419 closed sites.
・ There are 35 electric power plants that use waste as their fuel, with a capacity of
313.354 MW altogether, where they produce electricity generated from waste and sellit commercially.
・ 2 million tons out of 27.8 million tons of solid waste generated in 2018 was municipal
plastic waste.

15

Figure 14 The proportion of the solid waste generated, re-utilized, disposed appropriately, anddisposed inappropriately in 2019-2018, in Thailand (MNRE 2019)2) Hazardous waste management
・ The amount of municipal hazardous waste generated in 2018 was 638,000 tons, a 3.2%
increase from 2017.
・ There is still no regulation to separate hazardous waste from general solid waste, as
well as regulations that would enforce the private sector to be responsible for waste
electrical and electronic equipment.
3) Industrial waste management
・ The amount of industrial waste tends to be lower and is being improved by a proper
managing system which has the potential to serve all industrial waste countrywide.
・

4.4 Solomon Islands (as of 2017)
1) Waste management
・ Uncontrolled disposal of waste puts pressure on the vulnerable ecosystems andbiodiversity of the Island.
・ Combustible waste such as kitchen waste and papers are the major waste.
・ JICA through the J-PRISM project had been working on the improvement of theRanadi Landfill with rehabilitation and application of the Fukuoka method (semiaerobic landfill system) in 2012. The Randi landfill had been an uncontrolled ‘opendump” site without any proper care of leachate, large populations of flies, bad odor,
poor road access, and no site management.
・ The Radani landfill is the only landfill in Honiara and accepts all types of waste with a16daily disposal amount of about 50 tons in the acceptable area of 400 ha.
・ It is difficult to obtain appropriate soil as cover soil.

Figure 15 Development of the Fukuoka system at Ranadi (MECDM 2019)
2) Challenges and issues
・ Stakeholders in the Solomon Islands answered the major challenges and issues related
to waste management in 2015, as shown in Figure 16.
・ All provincial centers faced challenges with the allocation of land and/or designationof the proper landfill. Another challenge is the fact that provincial land may not be large
enough to include a landfill within its boundary, and thus, the province may finddifficulties in convincing customary landowners to use their land as a landfill. Financial
resources and human resources are also limited in any provinces.
・ To cultivate awareness of waste management in public, educational activities are often
held with the leadership of the government.

17

Figure 16 Major waste challenges and issues for Solomon Islands (MECDM 2019)

4.5 Samoa (as of 2018)
1) Waste landfills
・ The Tafaigata landfill in Upolu has been transformed from a messy, smelly dump to aclean and fresh semi-aerobic landfill structure using the Fukuoka method with the aidof JICA and SPREP, as shown in Photo 17.
・ Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment constructed another semiaerobic sanitary landfill on Savai’i island with its own budget, technically supportedby the training participants. (ADB 2014)

Leachatecollection pipe
Leachate collection
pond
Leachate collection andgas venting pipe

Figure 17 Application of the Fukuoka method to Tafaigata landfill (edited from SPREP 2018)18

2) General issues about the waste management
・ Organic and degradable wastes account for more than 60% of the total municipal solid
waste which frequently causes spontaneous firing in landfills. Each of papers, plastics,
glass, and metals account for 6-12%.
・ While being picked up every day in rural areas, wastes are picked up every two weeks
in rural areas.
・ According to the MNRE, Samoans generate per capita about 175 kg of waste perannum in the Apia urban area, and 130 kg, per capita, per annum in rural areas.
Household waste is composed mostly of organic refuse, but plastics and other inert
materials also constitute a significant and growing share of waste output.
・ The government has adopted include fining companies and individuals for dumping
waste illegally, improving waste collection systems

4.6 Fiji (as of 2018)
1) Waste landfills
・ In most landfills in Fiji, anaerobic open dumping is still the major landfilling system.
・ After opening the Naboro landfill in 2005 with the financial aid of the European Union(EU), the waste management system and legal frameworks in Fiji have been steadily
improved.
・ At the Naboro landfill where the anaerobic sanitary system is adopted, leachate fromthe waste body is collected and treated on-site, to achieve the standards listed in Table
4. A truck scale is installed to measure the weight of trucks before and after dumping.
・ The Naboro landfill is owned by the government of Fiji and has a life of more than 70
years (ADB 2014).

Figure 18 Waste in the Naboro landfill

19

Table 4 National wastewater discharge standards in Fiji (EMA Regulations 2008)
pH
Oil&Grease
BOD
SS
TDS
Fecal Coliform
Sulphate
Total N
Ammonia
Total P
Iron
Arsenic
Cadmium
Lead
Mercury
Zinc

Unit
mg/L
mg/L
mg/L
c/100mL
mg/L
mg/L
mg/L
mg/L
mg/L
mg/L
mg/L
mg/L
mg/L
mg/L

Standard
7-9
No visible
40
60
1000
400
500
25
10
5
5
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.02
1

2) General issues about the waste management
・ Food and kitchen wastes account for about 50% of the total municipal solid waste in
the Great Suva region.
・ Municipal solid waste is stored by residents and commercial establishments in small
bins (generally of 60-liter capacity).
・ Illegal dumping and burning of waste are still common due to inadequate enforcement.
・ There is no large-scale treatment facility at either Naboro or Suva for the highproportion of organic waste.

REFERENCES
Asian Development Bank (2014a): Solid Waste Management in the Pacific: Fiji Country Snapshot,
Asian Development Bank (2014b): Solid Waste Management in the Pacific: Samoa Country Snapshot,https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/42663/solid-waste-management-samoa.pdf(accessed on 2020.3.11).
Fiji Islands Government Gazette Supplement (2007): Environmental Management (Waste Disposal andRecycling) Regulations 2007, No.1. https://doefiji.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/final-environmentmanagement-_waste-disposal-recycling_-regs-21-nov-07-_2_.pdf (accessed on 2020.3.11).
Japan International Cooperation Agency (2014): JICA Report of disaster waste management in
Kathmandu, Nepal, https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/618/618/618_116_12229217.html (accessed on
2020.3.10).
Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, Solomon Islands(2019): National Waste Management and Pollution Control Strategy 2017-2026,
https://www.sprep.org/publications/national-waste-management-and-pollution-control-strategy2017-2026 (accessed on 2020.3.11).
20

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Pollution Control Department, Thailand (2019):
Booklet on Thailand State of Pollution 2018,
http://www.pcd.go.th/file/Booklet%20on%20Thailand%20State%20of%20Pollution%202018.pdf(accessed on 2020.3.11).
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