SAIPAN — Gov. David M. Apatang has ordered an immediate halt to the disposal of any out-of-jurisdiction waste in CNMI landfills, directing regulators to preserve limited capacity for local residents and businesses.
In a Nov. 18 memorandum to the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality (BECQ) administrator and the Department of Public Works (DPW) secretary, Apatang said the Commonwealth “will not accept any wastes originating from outside the CNMI for disposal in the CNMI landfills, regardless of whether such wastes are determined to be non-hazardous.”
The memo says the new policy is intended to preserve the remaining space in CNMI landfill facilities, avoid setting a precedent that would encourage the islands to become a disposal destination for regional waste, and minimize the risk of accepting material that could later be deemed hazardous, leading to environmental liabilities and cleanup obligations.
BECQ and DPW are instructed to communicate the policy to all relevant agencies, contractors and potential waste originators, and to ensure it is enforced in all permitting and approval processes.
