Case Study
Gizo, Solomon Islands
- Activities Undertaken:
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Initiator: Plasticwise Gizo
- Year: 2017 onwards
Key Takeaways
- Intersectionality in environmental action: Plastic Wise Gizo demonstrates how women-led initiatives can address plastic pollution while creating opportunities for community participation, leadership and livelihood development.
- Centering local communities: This program emerged organically through existing cultural institutions such as churches. Their multidisciplinary programs demonstrate the centrality of having local leaders at the helm for building lasting programs. Partnerships with schools and religious institutions illustrate avenues for building waste management programs with local communities centered.
Situation
- Waste management: The Solomon Islands lacks a management system to capture and process plastic waste but receives a growing quantity of imported goods and packaging waste. Informal dumping of plastic waste creates habitats for pests and vectors of disease, which have been exacerbated. Any efforts to recover plastic materials for recycling struggle to access international recycling.
- Social: PlasticWise Gizo was founded by women across churches in Gizo who were concerned about increasing plastic pollution in their communities. Existing awareness programs have limited reach in rural areas, and awareness of pollution and waste management remains low (less than 50%) in many communities.
- Operating largely on a voluntary basis, the initiative has mobilized local women to lead awareness, clean-up, and recycling activities. While enviornmental awareness remains limited in many communities, existing social networks through churches and community groups provide a foundation for collective action and outreach.
Complications
- Lack of policy enforcement: There is limited government commitment, and financial resources prioritize large-scale economic projects rather than waste management.
- Rising packaging waste burden: Imported goods contribute a large amount of waste.
- Logistical difficulties in access: Facilities include shredding machines, but there is no international market for PET bottles, with high costs and logistical challenges transporting across islands, even domestically.
- Low economic returns: Community awareness and training activities depend largely on external project funding, making it difficult to maintain programs consistently between funding cycles.
Resolution
- PlasticWise Gizo has begun developing market-based recycling activities, including a buyback program for aluminium cans. Collected cans are aggregated in Gizo and transported to Honiara for onward sale, and some are exported to international markets such as Thailand and South Korea, creating an emerging revenue stream to support waste recovery efforts.
- Community-based training: Women are trained in practical skills such as traditional weaving with recycled materials, and these recycled crafts are then sold locally to generate income and foster recognition.
- Western Province Network for Sustainable Environment: Local NGOs, community groups, churches and government stakeholders collaborate through environmental networks and awareness campaigns to strengthen collective action on waste management issues.
- Schools, cultural events, and community outreach activities are used to raise awareness of waste management and encourage community participation.
Impact
- Aluminum can collection project: A buyback programme was established for cans and plastic bottles. Aluminum cans have been exported to international off-takers, generating approximately US$3,800 in revenue.
- Engagement programmes: The 3R’s Initiative engagement programme has reached at
least 150 members in the Western Province, including women’s groups, members of the
Provincial Government, church representatives and other community residents. Outreach
programmes in schools focus on plastic waste and environmental stewardship. - Town cleanups: Multiple cleanups have been hosted in Gizo town, generating engagement
and awareness. - Plastic Wise has begun exploring market opportunities for recovered materials and recycled products, representing a shift from awareness-focused activities toward market-linked waste recovery
Governance & Policy
- Policies and strategies related to waste management exist but implementation and enforcement remain limited.
- Limited government prioritisation and financial allocation for waste management initiatives.
- Limited monitoring and coordination mechanisms affect consistency of policy implementation.
- Existing policy frameworks provide an entry points for civil society organisations to advocate for improved waste management implementation.
Capacity, Capability, and Technology
- Limited waste management infrastructure and operational capacity across islands.
- Existing processing technologies, such as shredding equipment, are underutilized due to limited market access for recovered materials.
- Women-led training programs build community skills in recycling, reuse and environmental stewardship.
- Existing community networks through churches and local organisations support knowledge sharing and capacity building.
Funding, Financing, and Access to Market
- Geographic dispersion and high transportation costs constrain access to recycling markets and reduce the profitability of material recovery activities.
- Limited financial returns from recyclable materials reduce the economic viability of recycling activities.
- Dependence on external organizational funding may affect long-term financial sustainability.
- Emerging revenue from aluminium can recovery demonstrates potential for market-based recycling solutions.
- Growing efforts to identify local and external buyers for recyclable materials create opportunities to strengthen recycling value chains.
Cross-Sectoral Collaboration & Other Value Chain Enabling Activities
- Limited public awareness and uneven outreach efforts on waste management and plastic pollution issues, particularly in rural and remote communities.
- Reliance on volunteer participation can affect the continuity of outreach and communication activities.
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- Existing community and church leadership structures support local engagement and programme participation.
- Collaboration among NGOs, religious institutions, local governments, schools, and community groups strengthens environmental
awareness and participation.
- Women-led community networks strengthen participation and locally grounded waste management approaches.
