By RODRICK DESURI
AUKI
Auki town’s rubbish woes is expected to linger for months as work continues to prepare a new dumpsite for Malaita province’s capital.
The responsible authority for the collection of rubbish within the Auki township areas, Auki Town Council, is still waiting for the new landfill at Gwaigeo to be cleared and cleaned before it can be used as a dumpsite.
The Malaita Provincial Government acquired about two hectares of land owned by the province for a dump site after the temporary dump site at Kunu was disputed.
Since last month, many residents of Auki Town have voiced their concerns about why Auki Town Council hasn’t been collecting rubbish for weeks.
Auki Town Council is responsible for the collection of rubbish starting from Mage village to Aimela.
However, Hazel Fanai from Auki Town Council said they are partnering with J-Prism (III), a 25-year SPRED-JICA partnership on a waste management project, to work on the new Gwaigeo landfill.
She stressed that an assessment of the site and a meeting were held with the surrounding communities of the site.
“We have done an on-site assessment, and a meeting was held with the surrounding communities of the site. The assessment is to see how the site will be planned, how the roads will go, and how our compactor truck will move,” she said.
Fanai emphasized that the Environmental Internal Assessment will be the next assessment that needs a specialist from the Ministry of Planning or from Japan.
“For this Environmental Internal Assessment, it’s good that a specialist from Japan will come to do that, because the riverbanks and swampy areas need good planning,” She said.
Meanwhile, Fanai assured the residents of Auki township to start the process of sorting different waste types at the source—such as recyclables, organic materials, and general waste—into separate containers to facilitate recycling, composting, and proper disposal.
She said this practice can reduce piles of waste and pollution, conserve resources, and contribute to a more sustainable environment.
She added that Gwaigeo landfill will be ready for use sometime early next year, 2026.
“All I can say is that the collection of all rubbish will start around early next year when our landfill is fully ready and safer for dumping rubbish,” she said.
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