86,000 bottles of water on the wall: Tonga struggles with post-volcano waste problem

The Pacific country has no roadside recycling collection, so most bottles just end up in landfill. Photograph: Leki Lao

Since the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted in Tonga in January, killing four people, the Pacific nation has received more than 200 shipping containers of aid supplies, including 86,000 bottles of water.

After the HMAS Canberra arrived from Australia, bringing with it two helicopters and more than 417 tonnes of equipment and supplies, the prime minister of Tonga, Siaosi Sovaleni, gave a speech thanking Australia for its help.