Activist: Make money from waste

 By CARMELLA GWARE

THE Baruni and 6-Mile rubbish dumps in the National Capital District can be used to generate income, according to environment and human rights advocate Matilda Pilacapio.

“It stinks, it smells but our people live there. It breaks my heart to see people scrounging around for food and yet we talk about human rights,” she said yesterday.

“There must be a way out. Something must be done to commercialise these wastes into bio-fuel.

 “During an urban development forum held at the Papua New Guinea Institute of Public Administration last year, a young boy came to me and said: ‘Mama kisim displa buk na gavana lukluk na wokim sampla samting (Mother take this book and give it to the governor so he can do something).’”

“The book showed how gas plasma is produced in Australia – all the rubbish are meshed together, crushed and turned into bio-gas. 

“All these wastes can be recycled then resold back to the city as gas. And you can do it out of pig shit, human shit, any shit.

“Gas plasma is the way to go. And all these rubbish that are around in existing markets can be taken to Bomana prison so that prisoners can use them as organics to grow nutritious vegetables to sustain them instead of depending on the national government’s budget.

“Look at Manu market  – it is disgusting. There’s a way out and it is called technology. 

“We have a lot of engineers as well as graduates around. Use them,” Pilacapio said.

NCD Governor Powes Parkop responded, saying: “Under my leadership our goal now is to achieve a zero-waste status in the city as soon as possible.

“We started working with the Japan International Cooperation Agency under the direction of the national government but that plan did not go anywhere.

“So we have awarded contractors to rebuild Baruni dump, move it away from the road, build proper roads leading to it and seal it.

“Not only will it be environmentally safe but it will also be possible to tap the gas.

“That is the plan that we are currently working on.

“We hope that by 2015 all wastes from residential, commercial and industrial areas will be regarded as resources.”