American Samoa. American Samoa consists of a group of five volcanic islands (Tutuila, Ofu, Olosega, Tau, and Aunu’u) and two coral atolls (Rose Island and Swains Island) located halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, to the southeast of Guam and CNMI. The total land mass of American Samoa is approximately 76 square miles; it is the smallest of the US Pacific island territories. The capital city of American Samoa is Pago Pago on the isle of Tutuila, the largest and most populated (over 95% of the population resides on the island) of the American Samoan islands (Figure 3). Pago Pago has one of the best natural deep-water harbors in the South Pacific because it is sheltered from rough seas and protected by the mountains from high winds. The average annual temperature in American Samoa ranges from 70-90°F, and an average annual rainfall at Pago Pago Airport is about 120 inches (Xxxxxx et al.
American Samoa. The visit to American Samoa took place from January 26, 2015, to January 30, 2015. The first portion of the visit (January 26-28th) included observations of typical waste management practices on the main island of Tutuila; meetings were held with American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) and ASPA to discuss the RARE project and visit the Futiga solid waste facility and other material processing facilities. During the tour of Tutuila, a strong advertising campaign by the ASEPA related to controlling litter was noted both on billboards and on the radio. An example of the anti-litter campaigning on Tutuila is shown in Figure 11. Collection practices for residential homes and commercial entities were also observed while visiting Tutuila. Residential homes were provided a single bin that was collected curbside, and commercial entities used standard collection dumpsters. Several areas throughout Tutuila were still observed where some illegal dumping has occurred.
