With the frequency of tropical storms in the Pacific and ravaging bushfires destroying Australian forests and wildlife, the impacts of climate change and global warming on the environment has reached crisis levels.
Samoa Youth and Climate Resilience Action Group member Marion Tavai Fruean calls for simple but effective steps we can take within our homes to take action towards a clean environment by recycling household waste.
Also a member of Junior SVSG Ms Fruean’s group has partnered with SVSG Samoa on a program of recycling tinned cans of food that would normally make their way to the rubbish bins and eventually to our limited landfills.
Tinned cans are instead recycled and reused to make reusable storage containers.
At a press conference held yesterday morning, the Robert Louis Stevenson student says she started this within her own home about seven months ago.
“I’ve adopted a recycle program within my family, which is to recycle old metal cans, and we have been doing this for about seven months now;
“My family and I have recycled more than 50 kilos of metal since we started, from cans of tinned fish, tuna, spaghetti, and all sorts of tinned cans.”
The Samoa Youth and Climate Resilience Action Group work on projects such as cleaning sea walls and teaching families how to do their part to recycle and reuse.
Ms Fruean had been the link of that youth group to the Junior SVSG where she is also a member.
“There are over two thousand youth members in the Junior SVSG and together our aim to educate families on how they too can recycle tinned cans,” says Ms Fruean.
“There is recycling, reusing and upcycling;
“Recycling is when you clear not only the rubbish but you also clear the land fill so there is more space for decomposable rubbish and waste to go to.”
The Samoa Victim Support Group have provided some funds towards the project which Ms Fruean says is very cost effective.
SVSG Director Siliniu Lina Chang said the organisation has benefited from recycled products which people tend to discard without regard for how they can be effectively reused.
“E tele naua a matou oloa ua maua mai le lapisi lea o loo faapea tatou e tatau ona lafoai, ma o loo taumafai le Toomaga e faaoga mai aitia mai alo ma fanau nei latou te amataina ai le fausiaina o oloa nei ona faasoa atu lea i nuu ma afioaga i tua le tomai.”
Siliniu says this initiative would be a perfect program to roll out through the Nofotane project where SVSG partners with the Ministry of Women and Social Development to empower women in villages who live with their husband’s families.
“O se taimi lelei lea e mafai ai ona tatou aoao atu i tina ma tupulaga talavou i totonu o nuu ma alalafaga metotia nei e faasaoina mai ai le siosiomaga.”
Siliniu says it is important to teach and educate our people on the impacts of waste on the environment.
