Both councils on South Tarawa in Kiribati have agreed to pick up rubbish from all households so long as it is contained in a green bag.
The green bag, which was free, will now cost a small, subsidised amount and this will cover the service fee formerly charged by the councils to households for rubbish collection.
The councils say they will also guarantee that the twice weekly pick up goes ahead after some irregularities where rubbish wasn't collected.
One of the organisers of the move to shift to green bag rubbish collection, Ritia Bakineti, says Kiribati has had problems with waste disposal in the past with rubbish piling up in the streets and around villages.
"People would sweep out their rubbish and accumulate their rubbish in the open piles near the road side for the council to shovel it into the trucks once a week. With a green bag, it's twice a week and you contain your rubbish, it's not seen, your home is good looking without all the rubbish."
Mrs Bakineti, who is the national co-ordinator for the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme's International Waters project, says the initiative is just one of several to deal with the problem of waste disposal correctly.
