Seeking comments from NCDC

[This message was sent to the NCDC (the National Capital District Commission) the authority responsible for waste management and environmental health in the City of Port Moresby. It was sent on the 12th April 2010]...


Hi,

[Please refer to the appropriate authority: WASTE MANAGEMENT & ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH]


Hi, My name is George H. Ume, currently undertaking post graduate studies at the University of Queensland.

The reason for being here is in two fold:

* To establish a link with the Waste Management and Environmental Health Divisions of the NCDC of matters that I have interest in especially on Household Garbage Recycling and Disposal Options;
* As part of my studies, we are required to link up and engage with authorities and the community to work out a community action plan on projects we propose, which in my case is Household Garbage Recycling and Disposal Options.

My project, as mentioned, is HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE RECYCLING AND DISPOSAL OPTIONS. For community involvement and engagement, I am to formulate a community action plan whereby I can link up communities (or a community as a pilot project) within each of the suburbs around the City of Port Moresby. The project is to look into how we can reduce household garbage waste with the option of recycling of recyclable materials and food waste as fertilisers etc. Whatever that may be left over need to be appropriately disposed as not to cause environmental problems or pollution.

The plan is to involve and engage communities to work out a strategy on garbage collection whereby all garbage is sorted out at a garbage depot into various sections: 1. Recyclable: - Food Waste; Grass, Leaves and Papers; Tin, Cans, Metal and Bottles; and Non-Recyclable: - Plastics, Glasses and Hazardous wastes. After sorting out, the non-recyclable wastes are disposed are burnt-off in incinerators or used in landfills. The recyclable wastes are taken off to their appropriate recyclable sites.

In involving and engaging the community, people work together and have the sense of ownership over their community and the cleanliness that comes with it. When all communities shared that common understanding of working together to keep their communities clean, the overall effect in the cleanliness in the City of Port Moresby is achieved.

..........................

That is the idea behind the project. I have set up a blog site - ghughie@blogspot.com - for contributions, comments and advice to how best this issue can be tackled.

PLEASE COMMENT OR CONTRIBUTE DIRECTLY IN THE BLOG SITE.

Thank you.

George H. Ume

Reminder for required information

[This reminder message was on the 22nd April since there was no response to the first on sent on the 7th April 2010]

Hi guys!
Sorry to disturb your pleasant day! I am coming back for some assistance since no one has responded to my previous email on the subject matter.

I understand that you have no time for this as it is in the way of your work, but as a courtesy, I am seeking assistance and contributions to verify my project. I understand also that the speed of the internet system is very slow so it is time-consuming so you can not possibly access my blog site.

Anyway, to make it simple, please respond to the questions I am posing here:

1. Is household garbage collection a problem in your area (place of residence)?
2. Is recycling a better option to reduce the amount of household waste?
3. Is it possible for a community involvement in waste recycling within your area?
4. Can each suburb be able to contain its own garbage disposal issues?
5. What is the better option to reducing household waste disposal?

If you can access my blog site, you can be able to understand the project further. Check http://ghughie.blogspot.com - for further details.

If a number of you respond before Monday 26th by 12pm, to the questions posed, it would be highly appreciated and of great help to my project - due 2pm.

Respond via this email address.

Cheers!!

Geo.

Requesting Information

(The message below was emailed to workmates and colleagues in Port Moresby on the 22nd April 2010)

Hope you all had an enjoyable Easter last weekend!! and back hard at home....

This email message may have reached you all confused and surprised as the topic seems rather unfamiliar to your normal messages. For that, I am going to explain the reason why and what may be required of you.

As part of an assessment in one of the courses I am taking (SWSP7123 - Community Planning, Engagement & Governance), we have been required to set up a blog site where we can communicate an action plan by way of comments and contributions that pertain to the subject topic and theme of discussion. I was not sure of what would be the best topic for discussion and of relevance for engaging communities, however to get it off as it is due on Friday 23rd April - just over two weeks - I chose the topic of Garbage recycling (household) and general garbage disposal methods in Port Moresby communities. The idea is to engage people/communities within various suburbs of the city to look at the option of household garbage recycling and alternate disposal methods.

We are to be assessed by the interaction within the blog site of comments, ideas, work plans and contributions on the topic (as stated). As it requires a larger part of my assessment (55%), I humbly appeal to you all to give some thought and assistance.

The blog site is: http://ghughie.blogspot.com/ - (type the address in the navigation bar at the top and it should pop up - depending on the speed of the PC)

I am mindful that the internet services are rather slow and with older version of Windows, and your time, however as a work colleague and friend, I ask with due respect and for your support.

Recycling processes

Recycling processes

City of Port Moresby - (Google Earth map)

This is a view of Port Moresby - covering only Paga Hill/Ela Beach, Downtown, Konedobu across Touaguba Hill and Ela Makana down to Koki and Badili (Matirogo) suburbs.



Other suburbs are not shown.

My Project Proposal - finally!

Project Title:

• Garbage/Waste Recycling within the Suburban Communities: Port Moresby City

Project Focus:

• Household garbage and proper garbage disposal options

Project Aim:

• This project aims to address the current waste management situation in Port Moresby, by concentrating on reducing household garbage disposal through recyclable options which provides an alternate monetary avenue for the communities within each suburb, and also proposing alternate means of garbage disposals.
  

Project Rationale:

• The National Capital District (NCDC) who is responsible for the operations and management of the City of Port Moresby has been throughout the years struggling to reduce the amount of household garbage being disposed at Rubbish Disposal Dumps allowing an increase in scavenging for recyclable, and compost materials. Similarly it does not have a clear demarcation on the types of waste materials, which could have been separated earlier for recycling, composting or disposed through incineration or land-fills. Nor it has clear policies on waste recycling or whether recycling can be done at a large scale.

Project Action:

• To achieve the project's aim, the strategy is two-fold.

1. To work with the NCDC (and its waste disposal contractors) to focus on a waste collection program with the communities, and
2. To work with and engage the communities to establish garbage collection units (depots) through the NCDC in their own suburbs, where all garbage/waste/rubbish is sorted out prior to final disposal in Rubbish Disposal Dumps and/or through incineration, land-fills, burning etc..
   

• To start off the project, I need to gather information on communities in suburbs that may have some interest for cleaning up their area and the NCDC and other relevant authorities and individuals mainly through available internet communication - website surfing and email technology. Since the project would be a long-term initiative, there would need to be a lot of data and information collection first from my place of study (in Australia) before I can embark on the project physically in Port Moresby. It needs more than just a plan and commitment to work on this.

• My appeal to like-minded people to contribute, comments or provide alternate measures that I can look into to make the project viable.

Risk Identification:

• In undertaking this work I will need to:

1. be mindful not to interfere on the community obligations and responsibilities of the NCDC, and 
2. be mindful of the disposal habits of people and their stubbornness to cooperate in proper disposal manners.

• The project would create financial implications and the cost factor would increase in the long run as a continuous project year-in year out. It may cause the project to fail should the NCDC declines to address it nor fund it. Some communities may be reluctant to join the waste management program.

My immediate problem is whether I will be able to gather sufficient ground information, and establishing networks including liaising, communicating, and working with permanent contacts to address this issue both in Port Moresby and Abroad since I am currently based in Australia, and the project would be assessed in June 2010. That is a big risk I am taking to chose this issue, especially when I am not located at that venue for easy accessibility.

My inexperience in blogging may also be a factor.

• Interested people can comment on this Blog directly.

THX!

Is recycling a better option?

The presentation here does raise some views that we can consider, however it also depends on the waste situation.



What do you think about such views?

Proper rubbish disposal options - Keep UQ refectories clean!

I had been firstly thinking on what would be the appropriate topic for this posting, and whilst still thinking about it, I have tentatively used ‘proper rubbish disposal options’ as the topic.

Deviating from my original idea of considering waste management and recycling in Port Moresby (PNG), my alternate is to re-look at the rubbish disposal methods – Keep the UQ refectories clean – and how I can relate it practically in a community-orientated project.

Coming from a top-down working environment, this project would be challenging, but then again whether it will have enough substance for me to consider it as a project.

Still floating my options…..

Waste management and recycling through community participation

I have been wondering whether this project will make sense in a community development and engagement perspective.My less or the lack of experience working in an community-orientated program or project is the reason for my confusion in whether theme of my project proposal makes sense.

I think I got myself into something that is common knowledge and that have been successfully accomplished elsewhere in most countries in the world, however I would like to relate this to my own community in my home country (PNG), more appropriately to the citizens of Port Moresby, where I live.
Like other developing countries, the issues of waste management and recycling are neglected or ignored creating dirty and polluted environment. Port Moresby with its accelerating population is faced up with issue, although not to the magnitude of other major cities in the developing countries.
Waste disposal is normally done at open disposal sites and recycling is not a priority since all waste or rubbish/trash of any nature are not separated prior to disposal.

In Port Moresby, household waste collection and disposal is supposed to be done on regular basis but sub-contracting by the city authority to local contractors has been problematic due to insufficient finance, transport, equipment and labour. Recycling of household waste is almost non-existant. Apart from collection of re-saleable aluminium cans, PET bottles and beer bottles and cans, all the household wastes are placed in rubbish bins for disposal.

Normally decisions on Waste Management and Recycling come from a higher level and have political and economic implications. The role in which the community play is by far just to ensure their household waste is taken out and placed in trash cans/rubbish bins to be picked up by the garbage disposal contractors.

In my study programs in New Delhi, India and here in Brisbane, I have noticed that there are specific wheelie bins (or the like) for specific materials. The recyclable materials have their own bins. In India, they have recyclable depots where waste/rubbish is sorted out in different bins/boxes from grass/leaves up to glass and metal.

From those observation and knowledge, I can look at the possibilities of emphasising the importance of proper waste disposal using appropriate measures whether it be open disposal sites – dump and burn, incineration, isolated and restricted dump sites, or land reclamation. Connecting the city authority with the local communities, we can encourage the involvement, engagement and participation of the local communities within each suburb to sort out household waste for recycling purposes and work towards a healthy and clean community and environment. Community participation and the involvement of the city authority to consider this issue would lessen the amount of disposable waste dumps in open sites, categorizing types of waste and considering other forms of disposal, creating recycling programs and projects, and involving and engaging local communities to clean up and take pride to keep their community clean and healthy. Usually local communities within each suburbs can be the best options to participate in sorting out recyclable waste.

Could this be a viable proposal in terms of community engagement and participation? Just a thought but may look at other pressing issues of community engagement……

Realisation

Considering my choice to take up studies in Masters in Development Practice (Advanced) programme at the University of Queensland in 2009 following up from an earlier PostGraduate Diploma in Planning (Third World) in 1997, it has placed me in an open perspective to understand the normal livelihood of people, their hardships and struggles, absolute poverty, increasing population growth, traffic congestion and pollution, political oppression, Rostow’s model of development, neo-liberalism, foreign direct investment, climatic change and the endless list of matters that generally evolve with the changing times.

Taking up the community development courses under the MDP (Adv) program, it is beginning to open up another perspective of realising how important it is to involve or work amongst communities to enable better livelihood and social interaction for better harmonious lifestyle. Although my professional work as an physical planner required a lot of community-orientated interaction, the system under which we operated promoted a more ‘top-down’ and ‘inside-out’ approach, hence my involvement in actual community-orientated work is very minimal. As such I lack experience in dealing directly with communities. As a rural-orientated person, my village community is a dynamic community that I live in, however my direct input as an educated and knowledgeable person is not realised within.

I have always been part of a community as traditional families ties and community living has been an integral part of my traditional culture. However, I have not work within the larger community to explore needs, and create and promote awareness in what I have learnt or what I do in my professional work.

Community development courses are helping me to identify areas that I have failed in understanding and where I can explore and practically involve in. Now I realise that direct participation in community planning, community development, engagement and participation enables the world to come to stand in unity amidst diversity to strive for a better living, healthy, peaceful and harmonious environment.

I welcome you all to my new blog site, and as it is my first blogging experience, I hope I can be able to draw your support, comments and contribution

I welcome you all to my new blog site, and as it is my first blogging experience, I hope I can be able to draw your support, comments and contributions on general views and information that could help achieve the intentions of the blog site.

This blog site is mainly for my postgraduate coursework that I am undertaking: SWSP7123: Community Planning; Engagement & Governance. Whatever that transpires within should be closely related and link with COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT and COMMUNITY PLANNING ISSUES. The issues should also be more relevant and appropriate to the topics of discussion presented.

I also welcome useful comments that can meaningfully contribute the topic of discussion.

Happy blogging!!