It is renowned for its beautiful shorelines, friendly inhabitants, and importance as a breeding ground for seabirds, but also for its challenges in supporting human settlements. The only significant groundwater sources on the island exist as shallow groundwater lenses. Due to the porous nature of the island’s soil, the shallow groundwater is susceptible to contamination from sanitation systems and seawater intrusion. The soil is also not naturally conducive to growing edible fruits or vegetables, both of which are limited in diversity on the island. Most building materials, fuel, and other supplies must be imported via infrequent passing ships and planes which comes with a high price tag.

Yet, Kiritimati has many qualities that lend itself to self-sufficiency. The island is peaceful and a strong sense of community runs throughout. The people living there have long had to make do with few material resources available to them which has contributed to a culture of inventiveness. The island itself is large by the standards of an atoll and has plenty of open space – so much so that the Government of Kiribati is working to incentivise people to move there from its crowded capital. This relocation effort is accompanied by investments by the Government and other organisations to make it a sustainable future home for more than double its current population by 2045.

Circular economy approaches have much to offer a place like Kiritimati, which has potential to become a model of a circular economy society. Freshwater reserves need to be carefully managed and regenerated which is possible through protection of groundwater lenses from contamination sources and replenishing it after the water has been extracted and used. Fisheries – an important source of food on the island – can be sustainably farmed and also protected from pollution. Even food grown on land has the potential to flourish if domestic wastewater is smartly treated and re-used as a fertilizer.

The CIRCLE WASH research project aims to explore circular economy opportunities within sanitation systems that could contribute to Kiritimati becoming a more self-sufficient place. The University of Technology Sydney’s Institute for Sustainable Futures (UTS-ISF), in partnership with UNICEF Pacific, recently spent time in Kiritimati to talk to government officials about the project’s 8Rs framework and used it to facilitate ideas for a circular economy future.

The possibilities abound. Leaky septic tanks and pit toilets are a significant contributor to the contamination of the precious groundwater lenses. Meanwhile, composted human waste is sometimes used as a soil conditioner and fertilizer in Kiritimati, as it has been used by many other societies for thousands of years, which can be completely safe with the right processes. What if that wastewater (or should we call it resourcewater?) could be entirely captured so that it doesn’t leak into the groundwater and instead is safely transformed into a product that enables nutritious foods to be grown and watered on the island? This could also help to prevent sanitation pollution from reaching the fisheries as the island population grows – a significant challenge in the capital South Tarawa. The attractiveness of such an innovation grows if one considers the opportunity to use existing or recycled materials to safely capture waste rather than relying on imported cement.

Much thought needs to go into considering how innovations like these could be made into reality and into ensuring they are affordable to the lowest-income households and meet the needs and aspirations of diverse people living in Kiritimati. But the need is great, particularly when one considers the possible effects of climate change in prolonging droughts, which would further threaten water security, and more intense rainfall event that increase the risk of contamination events. The CIRCLE WASH project is ongoing through 2024 and aims to highlight potential opportunities that hopefully will be taken advantage of beyond the life of the project.

Acknowledgements

We thank participating Kiritimati government officials for their insights and contributions to the research.