FROM OUR SISTER CLUB ROTARY CLUB OF SAVUSAVU
{Rotary Club of Bentleigh Moorabbin Central donated $1500.00 to this project last month}
{Rotary Club of Bentleigh Moorabbin Central donated $1500.00 to this project last month}
Rocket Burn Barrel
Waste disposal, particularly plastic waste, is a major problem for remote villages and islands in Fiji. There is no recycling possible in these remote areas, so all garbage is either thrown into a casual landfill, burned in an open fire, left at the side of the road, or thrown into the sea.
The almost accidental landfills are not managed, so they attract vermin plus the toxins leach into the soil and often the water supply. The roadsides are littered with discarded chip and snack bags, and in the ocean plastic bottles and used diapers roll in and out on the waves or clog the reefs.
Open burning of the waste releases toxic fumes and ash that have helped give Fiji the world’s second highest rate of asthma and other respiratory issues in the world. Children regularly tell how they tend the daily garbage burns in their village. This in a country bathed continuously with wonderful clean Pacific trade winds and with virtually no industrial or automotive air pollution.
Research shows that plastic and many other waste products can be safely and effectively destroyed by high temperature incinerators, but traditional incinerators are very expensive and difficult to deploy to remote locales. The key is achieving a temperature above 500 degrees centigrade which is required for the destruction of the most commonly used plastics. Open fires rarely get hotter than 300 degrees.
A burn pit beside an elementary school in LabasaWe have found a way to build simple DIY incinerators using two barrels, a few screws and bolts, and some readily available tools. We call it the “Rocket Burn Barrel”. One 44 gallon barrel is reduced in size so it will fit comfortably inside the other. Many holes are strategically drilled and flaps created to guide the air in and focus it to achieve a very hot, double burn which reaches temperatures above 700 degrees centigrade. The burn is virtually smoke free, toxic gas free, and leaves only a small handful of ash.
Our initial goal is to see these placed in every medical/health clinic, all of which are in remote villages. We have received strong support and encourage from the Senior Health Director of Ministry of Health. We plan to put these there at no cost to the clinics.
Beyond that, we would like to see them used in schools and eventually in every village. We are putting them for free in schools and are asking a nominal charge of F@100 for the Rocket Burner from the villages to insure that they value the incinerator.
Further, we look to have them installed in as many business and individual homes as possible. The more users of this simple technology we can get the more plastic and other toxic waste we take out of the environment.
To this end, we share the plans for the burners with everyone on our website so they can build their own going forward as all the tools and materials are generally available. Videos of the build process will be available online to support this.
To-date the Rocket Burn Barrel project has delivered 13 incinerators around Cakuadrove province spread amongst health centers (5), businesses (4), and individuals (4). The feedback we have received so far has been extremely positive with users all reporting success with their “burns” and the plastic and medical waste safely destroyed. One individual was so pleased they came back and got another one.
We believe we have found a safe, effective and inexpensive way to dispose of plastic and other toxic waste in Fiji’s villages. It is still in the early stages of proving itself, but the initial prototype and site installations have produced very good results. Challenges exist, but we are hopeful that they will be overcome. This is by no means a 100% solution to the problem of plastic waste and related pollution, but we believe it can be a significant step in reducing the current pollution rates and begin to clean up existing waste. If we are successful, we estimate that each Rocket Burn Barrel could destroy up to 10,000 plastic bottles per year.
So, in 2024 we will need an infusion of F$2,000 to continue to press into villages and schools with 40 more incinerators by the end of the year.
GOOD NEWS FROM OUR SISTER CLUB dated 3/9/24
I wanted to let you know that your donation has enabled David (team leader) to increase production of the burn barrels and significantly lower the costs, so we're all very excited about that. He has recently been approached by the Cakaudrove Youth Council who are keen to roll it out as part of their youth projects across a number of villages. This is in progress right now. We aim to have a review of it all in a few weeks time and hope to give you a report on what stage we're at sometime in October.
All the best,
Delia