The findings from this study provide a snapshot of waste generation and waste stream composition in a range of location types in Papua New Guinea. The consolidated data shows a waste stream that is unsurprisingly weighted by organics, with a significant representation of packaging wastes that are predominantly plastics.
The findings generally speak to a seriously under-resourced waste management sector in the country. An immediate capacity needs assessment would greatly benefit future planning at a national and regional level in the form of an infrastructure development plan.
The consolidated data should be further modelled to create a national data set by applying the waste generation and composition findings to a concordance of municipalities throughout PNG using population data from the national census. Further modelling will provide a reasonable basis on which to determine the availability of recoverable and recyclable materials for stewardship programmes and to map future service and infrastructure needs.