Environmentalists in Tonga are extending plans to safely dispose of rubbish in rural villages of Vava'u, and are continuing plans to rehabilitate the country's mangrove populations and coral reefs.
Last month a group of 18 students and professors from St Mary's College of California teamed up with the Vava'u Environmental Protection Association or VEPA in Tonga, to help rehabilitate mangroves destroyed in the 2009 tsunami.
The group's Vice chairperson, Uini Veikoso says as part of on-going efforts to protect and conserve the island, new methods of disposing solid waste will be introduced to rural villages.
"Last year we sent solid waste on plastic cartons to the main islands. We now have a company, geo-recyclying here that recycles plastic bottles, cans, metals and glass bottles."
Uini Veikoso says VEPA is also hoping to generate more funding to carry out its environmental projects.
