The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) in partnership with Environment and Conservation Division (ECD) within the Ministry of Environment Lands and Agricultural Development (MELAD) completed the 1-week training on the plastic waste repurposing on the island of Abemama from 20 – 24 June 2022.
The workshop is a follow-on training from the Pacific Tourism Organisation’s (SPTO) Pacific Tourism Waste Action Initiative (PTWAI) where participants from the PTWAI training shared their skills with the participants in Abemama.
Abemama is the first island selected through Urban Development Project Phase II – Solid Waste Management Project to pilot 1-week plastic waste repurposing training.
The training is also part of TAK and the ECD’s initiative to support Kiribati’s sustainable tourism goals through the upcycling of plastic waste into valuable jewellery and artifacts that can be sold to travellers that visit the island.
Chairlady of the women councillor in Abemama, Mrs Bikenteiti Rutio said that “such a program was an opportunity for them to acquire new skills and knowledge for a new revenue stream”.
Acting Island clerk Mrs Teitirua Tekamau also commented that the “initiative not only assisted with minimizing plastic wastes to support clean, safe, and healthy environment of Abemama but also to boost the economy through the women’s creativity”.
18 women representatives from the island’s women’s council participate in the event. The program was funded by the Urban Development Project – Solid Waste Management Project and implemented under the Environment and Conservation Division.
