Collection and disposal of increasing waste volumes on Tongatapu, a vital public service, will be improved following the opening of a third Landfill Cell and the handover of new equipment, vehicles and a workshop at the Tapuhia Landfill this week.
Tapuhia receives waste from households, businesses, government institutions and essential services, daily. Two landfill cells were full by 2023 and the opening of the third cell will provide relief to mounting waste management issues for the most heavily populated island in Tonga.
“...It is critical that Tapuhia is supported with infrastructure, functional assets, and a strong operational environment to ensure safe, reliable, and sustainable waste services,” the CEO for Lands, Survey, Planning and Natural Resources, and Project Director, Mr Taaniela Kula, said at the handover on 18 November.
The construction of Landfill Cell 3, a new office workshop facility, and operational equipment, including a septage truck, tipper trucks, crane trucks, trailer and Mazda BT50s, were provided through a partnership between the government, his ministry and an Asian Development Bank (ADB) grant under the Tonga Integrated Urban Resilience Sector Project (TIURSP).
A CAT loader and CAT backhoe were also handed over to Waste Authority Ltd.
“For a small island nation like Tonga, where land space is limited and population growth continues to drive increasing waste volumes, effective waste management is not only a necessary service — it is a long-term national investment,” he said. “It is a shared commitment to protect our environment, strengthen our services, and build a cleaner, healthier and more resilient Tonga”.
Under the Tonga Integrated Urban Resilience Sector Project three major contributions to waste management operations were officially handed over.
USD$21.3 million project
Acting Director for National Spatial Planning Authority Office (under Ministry of Lands) & Deputy Director for TIURSP, Mr ‘Atunaisa Fetoka, said that the enhanced septage and solid waste management and collection in Tongatapu by upgrading the Tapuhia wastewater treatment plant and construction of a new sanitary landfill, was part of a larger project developed in response to the growing challenges faced by Greater Nuku’alofa,
The challenges included “population expansion, climate-related threats such as flooding, sea-level rise, and storm events and increasing pressure on essential infrastructure and public services.”
In September 2019, a grant agreement for USD$21.3 million was signed between the Government of Tonga and Asian Development Bank for TIURSP, focused on four major outputs:
- Flood mitigation infrastructure in high-risk areas
- Improved and more reliable water supply services
- Enhanced public and environmental health through improved sanitation and waste systems –
- Strengthened institutional planning and climate-resilient development practices
‘Atunaisa announced that Cabinet had decided in September 2025, to approve the Nuku’alofa Development Strategy and its Investment Plan to guide further government urban planning and investments
