By the late 1990s Kiribati was in a waste crisis. The primary problem was on South Tarawa, the capital, and home of approximately one half of the country's people. There were no engineered landfills, and litter was extremely common and thick, in all built up areas and surrounding beaches. Piles of waste often remained uncollected in the streets for weeks. Programmes were instituted by the Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with local organizations, to turn the situation around. By 2002, a programme called SAPHE1 was underway, building two landfills and FSP Kiribati had completed a programme called KEEP (Kiribati Environmental Education Programme) which focused on Municipal waste management, and laid the basis for a more integrated approach.
a. Describe, in details, the health and environment hazards of uncollected waste on the streets.
b. As a consultant on the KEEP programme, you are asked to propose a more integrated approach to waste management in Tarawa. Describe integrated solid waste management and explain the factors that would determine your choice of ISWM system.