Problems

Brunei dumps 490 tonnes of garbage a day, equivalent to 180,000 tonnes a year. Therefore, the rate of garbage disposal is very high. Most household wastes such as food waste, plastic bottles and plastic bags are not disposed of properly and are not sorted out before being disposed of. In some cases, the household wastes are mixed together, in some cases the household wastes are burnt. Improper waste disposal results in air pollution as the smell of the rubbish is horrible. This attracts pests such as rats, snakes and flies, which can result in the spreading of diseases such as cholera. Furthermore, the amount of rubbish going into landfill sites increases if the rubbish is not sorted out properly because recyclable waste is not separated from unrecyclable waste, and a lot of recyclable waste is not recycled. The government has to increase the amount of land used for landfill sites.

Possible solutions

Individual households should be encouraged to sort out their rubbish before disposing of them. Cooperation between the public sector and the private sector regarding the disposal of rubbish should be fostered by ensuring that rubbish is first sorted out then disposed of properly. The government should be encouraged to enforce new rules and regulations on proper rubbish disposal. Business organisations should be encouraged to use less plastic bags in packaging. The public should be informed about the importance of recycling, as well as reducing and reusing household wastes e.g. using food wastes as compost.

Figure 1, 2 & 3. Individual start sorting out rubbish (plastic bottles, tins and papers)before disposing.

Actions taken

The writer worked with groups of people in a certain village, encouraging them to sort out rubbish before disposing of it (putting recyclable and reusable items into separate bins/containers). The writer informed the people about the advantages of recycling and proper waste disposal by giving them pamphlets containing the necessary information regarding the aforementioned matters and tips on how to reduce the amount of household waste. The people were asked to give their recyclable items to a recycling company. They were also encouraged to use their food waste as compost and given information on how to do so.

Figure 4, 5 & 6. Photographs showing the village resident sorting out the recyclable items (papers, plastic and glass bottles).