Solid Waste Management in the Pacific: Tonga Country Snapshot

Abstract

This flyer outlines the status of solid waste management in Tonga and recommends key points for action to address challenges facing the country related to solid waste management. The Kingdom of Tonga had a population of approximately 103,300 in 2012 with annual population growth of around 0.2%. Approximately 67% of the population resides on the main island of Tongatapu, where the nation’s capital of Nuku’alofa is located. The population of Nuku’alofa is approximately 36,000. In 2012, Tonga’s pe r capita gross domestic product (GDP) was T$7,738 Tongan pa’anga (T$) (approximately $4,240) (footnote 1). Tongatapu has recently undergone a complete transformation of its SWM system, provided through the enactment of the Tonga Waste Management Act (2005), and the implementation of the Tongan Solid Waste Management Project (TOSWMP) supported by the government and the Australian Agency for International Development. The act provides a comprehensive legislative base for the eff ective development and management of the sector.