EPA regional exec backs sustainable waste management, ‘Zero Waste’ during her visit

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Pacific Southwest regional administrator Martha Guzman, center, is joined in a group photo by Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, Saipan Mayor Ramon B. Camacho, Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan, agency heads from the Interisland Solid Waste Management Task Force, and other representatives from the EPA after March 27 to April 2, 2023 was proclaimed as CNMI Zero Waste Week. (CNMI OFFICE OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT)

Senior officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were recently in the CNMI to help launch activities related to CNMI Zero Waste Week, to tour solid waste facilities, and to assess ongoing EPA-funded solid waste projects on Saipan and Tinian. The visit coincided with ongoing efforts to develop the CNMI’s Comprehensive Integrated Solid Waste Master Plan.

Martha Guzman, regional administrator of EPA Pacific Southwest, joined Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, and other dignitaries last March 30 in proclaiming March 27 to April 2, 2023, as CNMI Zero Waste Week. The proclamation was part of the CNMI Zero Waste Visioning Kickoff Meeting, hosted by the Interisland Solid Waste Management Task Force.

In their remarks during the event, Palacios, Guzman, Saipan Mayor Ramon B. Camacho, and Tinian and Aguiguan Mayor Edwin P. Aldan expressed their support for Zero Waste and shared relevant examples of initiatives under their offices that support achieving Zero Waste in the CNMI.

During the kickoff, the ISWMT presented on what Zero Waste is, ongoing Zero Waste initiatives on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, and the timeline for the upcoming months as the CNMI Comprehensive Integrated Solid Waste Master Plan gets developed. A significant next step is upcoming Zero Waste Visioning Workshops as well as island- and resource-specific follow-up meetings in the months ahead. Once submitted to and approved by the EPA, the plan will be the CNMI’s guiding document for solid waste management and will allow the CNMI to access $56 million in Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act funding administered by the EPA to the CNMI to support critical solid waste disaster recovery projects.

During their visit, Guzman and the EPA delegation toured Cell 2 of the Marpi Landfill on Saipan and the Super Typhoon Yutu debris site on Tinian. Projects funded by the EPA through ASADRA are taking place at both sites. The rehabilitation of Cell 2 is expected to be completed in June this year.

Once completed, the rehabilitated Marpi Landfill Cell 2 will be more resilient to extreme weather events such as typhoons and will provide the CNMI with valuable space for its municipal solid waste for years to come. On Tinian, the emergency cleanup of the Yutu debris site following a fire in June last year is in its final stages. All potentially hazardous burnt waste and soil have been transported off Tinian and sent to Saipan for appropriate processing and disposal.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Pacific Southwest regional administrator Martha Guzman, fourth from right, is briefed on the progress made on the Marpi Landfill Cell 2 Rehabilitation Project during a tour of the Marpi Landfill on March 30, 2023. Also in the photo are other representatives from the EPA and staff from the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, Department of Public Works, and Office of Planning and Development. (CNMI OFFICE OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT)

“Preserving our environment is a top priority for our islands,” Palacios said. “Achieving Zero Waste and implementing sustainable solid waste management practices in the CNMI is vital to the beauty and quality of life of our people. We are grateful for the partnership of the [EPA] and their contributions to the development of our Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan and the incorporation of Zero Waste Practices. We hope to continue building upon this partnership for the benefit of our community and our environment.”

“I want to applaud bringing together people and carefully thinking about what are the causes and what are the things that could be diverted and recycled,” said Guzman. “It takes more than all of us in this room. It takes a great collaboration of businesses, nonprofits, and communities with expertise— it’s an incredible effort.”

CNMI Zero Waste Visioning Workshops: April 18 to 19, 2023

The ISWMT invites the community and solid waste management stakeholders to attend the upcoming CNMI Zero Waste Visioning Workshops on April 18 and 19, 2023 virtually and in-person, from 8:30am to 11:30am on both days.

During this two-day event, attendees and the ISWMT will review recent collection and survey data to discuss and identify the CNMI’s solid waste management priorities and the steps the CNMI can take to achieve Zero Waste.

If you wish to attend, do confirm your in-person or virtual attendance before close of business on April 17, 2023 by sending an email to joshua.santos@opd.gov.mp.

The ISWMT also encourages you to take the CNMI Waste & Recycling Survey, which is open until May 1, 2023. Your feedback will help ensure this process is addressing cross-cutting community waste management priorities!

Please take the survey and pass it along: www.bit.ly/CNMI-waste-survey. (PR)

Tinian and Aguiguan Mayor Edwin P. Aldan, second from left, speaks with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency environmental engineer Hallie McManus, EPA Pacific Southwest regional administrator Martha Guzman, and director of the Tribal, Intergovernmental, and Policy Division for the EPA Laura Ebbert about the current state of the Transfer Station and Recycling Center on Tinian during a visit to Tinian by the EPA on March 31, 2023. (CNMI OFFICE OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT)