Recycling Opportunities in Timor-Leste: An EWB Challenge Report

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Opportunities for recycling-EWB
Challenge
Student Name:
Student ID:
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Executive Summary
The aim of the research was to find out the opportunities of recycling in Timor-Leste so that the
wastes that are generated on a daily basis can be effectively managed. The population of the
country is increasing thereby the waste generated is also increasing and its disposal on roadsides,
local water bodies and oceans have disrupted the lives of the people nearby along with aquatic
life. In order to improve the situation and resolve the issue a project design has been planned
whose implementation will ensure the effective management of wastes that will reduce the
negative impact of dumping of wastes. The people or the residents of country want to improve
the quality of their life therefore the government has taken several steps in order to make sure
that the negative impact of waste generation can be minimised or reduced through various
methods like education, composting, recycling and up cycling.
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Table of Contents
Background on EWB challenge.......................................................................................................4
1.1 Selected Challenge project................................................................................................4
Background of the Communities.....................................................................................................5
Identification of stakeholders relevant to the design area...............................................................7
Client needs statement.....................................................................................................................9
Reference List................................................................................................................................10
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Background on EWB challenge
EWB Challenge was started in 2007 with an aim of improving the social outputs in the districts
through design of manufacturing or engineering in the developing or budding areas. The main
purpose of EWB challenge is to provide the students an opportunity to gain knowledge regarding
communication, teamwork and design by participating in real and cross-cultural projects of
development (Ewbchallenge.org, 2019). The students get an opportunity to create solutions of
the problems that are challenging in real world.
1.1 Selected Challenge project
In this project, the opportunities of recycling have been discussed such that the amount of waste
generated can be reduced and the degradation of environment can be prevented.
1.2
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Background of the Communities
Engineers without Borders or EWB challenge have laid major emphasis on recycling and waste
management. It is necessary to mage wastes so that the dumping of wastes near roads or
waterways can be prevented and the wastes can be recycled effectively. The increase of plastic
debris in the South Pacific Ocean is a situation that demands attention and needs recycling.
Timor-Leste is a country in the southeast region of Asia (Theprif.org, 2019). The capital of the
country is Dill. The country is an island in the Pacific Ocean. The landscape of the country is
rugged that has mountainous backdrop. The population of the country is increasing therefore
there is an increase in the generation waste in the country. Therefore, the situation has to be dealt
effectively so that the generation of waste can be reduced and the wastes that are generated can
be recycled.
The plastic wastes that are dumped in the Pacific Ocean have adversely affected the aquatic life
and has lead to the death of various aquatic species. Recycling is important so that aquatic life
can be saved and the aquatic environment can be prevented from degradation. In Timor-Leste
wastes are not managed properly as huge amounts of wastes or rubbish are thrown by the
roadside. This has created environmental problems as well as health problems for the people
living nearby (Ewb.org.au, 2019). The absence of central waste management system therefore
the wastes that are generated have no system of recycling. People of the country are not aware of
the adversities of dumping wastes in the water bodies and roadside.
In order to resolve this problem it is mandatory that the government of the country takes apt
steps to educate the people or citizens of the country regarding the management of wastes and
take on various tasks like recycling, up cycling and composting so that the wastes are managed
effectively and the adversities of dumping wastes can be minimised. Composting ensures that the
organic wastes are utilised well, that is, this process involves the placing the wastes in the ground
by digging it and using it as a manure or fertilizer for the crops to grow (Sites.google.com,
2019). This can aid the farmers manifold as it makes the land fertile that enhances the
productivity of the land and can aid the farmers to leverage their standard of living.
It is also necessary that the people of the country are educated so that they stop dumping wastes
on roadsides or water bodies since it adversely affects the environment including aquatic and
terrestrial life. People must be educated on waste management and must be made aware of the
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harmful effects of dumping wastes anywhere (Ewb.org.au, 2019). Right from the school,
children must be educated on waste management and recycling so that the environment can be
saved. Recycling ensures that the wastes generated are reused while up cycling involves the
production of new products from the wastes that have been dumped especially from plastics.
These steps aid to make the world a better place to live.
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Identification of stakeholders relevant to the design area
Recycling and proper management of wastes has become a major area of concern because it is
hampering the lives of the people residing nearby and the lives of the animals as well. The
dumping of wastes in local water bodies and Pacific Ocean has leaded to the extinction various
aquatic species. The government of Timor-Leste need to educate and spread awareness among
people so that the generation of wastes can be minimised and the wastes that are generated can
be recycled.
Sr.
No.
Stakeholder Impact Influence/Interest
1. Government of
Timor-Leste
Must sponsor the awareness campaigns to
make people aware about waste management
Influence Medium,
Interest high
2. Waste
Management
Council
Must take proper steps to manage wastes and
its recycling
Influence high,
Interest Medium
3. People of the
community
People will be benefitted from the
management of wastes as their quality of life
will be improved
Influence low, Interest
low
4. Farmers Framers will be benefitted if organic wastes
are used as compost as the land will become
fertile and its productivity will increase
Influence high,
Interest medium
Table 1: Identification of Stakeholders
(Source: Created by the learner)
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Client needs statement
The huge amount of plastic debris that has been found in the Pacific Ocean has adversely
affected the life of the aquatic species while the wastes that are dumped on roadsides has affected
the lives of people living or residing nearby along with the lives of the terrestrial animals. The
implementation of the project will make sure that the wastes generated are recycled or up cycled
and the organic wastes are used as compost so that the adversities of waste generation and
problems related to its dumping are minimised. This will make sure that the lives of people and
animals are not affected in a negative manner.
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Reference List
Bravo, M., de Brito, J., Pontes, J. and Evangelista, L., 2015. Mechanical performance of concrete
made with aggregates from construction and demolition waste recycling plants. Journal of
cleaner production, 99, pp.59-74.
Ewb.org.au. (2019). Waste Management - Engineers Without Borders Australia. [online]
Available at: https://www.ewb.org.au/explore/initiatives/ewbchallenge/ptl/ptl-design-areas/ptl-
waste-management [Accessed 26 Mar. 2019].
Ewb.org.au. (2019). Student Research Projects - Engineers Without Borders Australia. [online]
Available at: https://www.ewb.org.au/whatwedo/education-research/research-program/available-
research-projects [Accessed 26 Mar. 2019].
Garlapati, V.K., 2016. E-waste in India and developed countries: Management, recycling,
business and biotechnological initiatives. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 54,
pp.874-881.
Sites.google.com. (2019). Upcycling - Timor-Leste - Waste Management. [online] Available at:
https://sites.google.com/site/ewbwastemanagement/our-solution/upcycling [Accessed 26 Mar.
2019].
Theprif.org. (2019). Timor-Leste profile in the solid waste and recycling sector | The PRIF.
[online] Available at: https://www.theprif.org/documents/timor-leste/waste-management/timor-
leste-profile-solid-waste-and-recycling-sector [Accessed 26 Mar. 2019].
Ewbchallenge.org. (2019). EWB Challenge. [online] Available at: https://ewbchallenge.org/
[Accessed 26 Mar. 2019].
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