Palau is renowned for its pristine natural environment which supports tourism,
fishing and extractive industries and the lifestyles of residents. Effective solid waste
management is crucial to ensuring the ongoing quality of Palau’s natural
environment. This report estimates the economic cost of solid waste related pollution
to Palau. It asks the question:
What costs could be avoided in the absence of solid waste pollution in Palau?
The result is an estimate of opportunity cost, which is the value of financial resources
that could be ‘freed’ for investment elsewhere were they not being spent to manage
and mitigate solid waste pollution problems.