About us
About PacWastePlus
The impact of waste and pollution is taking its toll on the health of communities, degrading natural ecosystems, threatening food security, impeding resilience to climate change, and adversely impacting social and economic development of countries in the region. The PacWastePlus programme will generate improved economic, social, health, and environmental benefits by enhancing existing activities and building capacity and sustainability into waste management practices for all participating countries.
Key Objectives
Outcomes & Key Result Areas
The overall objective of PacWastePlus is “to generate improved economic, social, health and environmental benefits arising from stronger regional economic integration and the sustainable management of natural resources and the environment”.
The specific objective is “to ensure the safe and sustainable management of waste with due regard for the conservation of biodiversity, health and wellbeing of Pacific island communities and climate change mitigation and adaptation requirements”.
Improved Data Collection Imroved data colletion, information sharing, and education awareness
Policy & Regulation Policies and regulatory frameworks developed and implemented.
Best Practices Enhanced private sector engagement and infrastructure development implemented
Human Capacity Enhanced human capacity.
Governance
PacWastePlus
Governance
The programme brings together key organisations supporting the waste and pollution sector in the region, with SPREP as the entrusted implementation agency. The Pacific Community (SPC) and the University of the South Pacific (USP) will be implementing partners contracted by SPREP for specific activities in line with their core expertise and responsibility.
Additionally, the PacWastePlus programme is partnering with numerous other development partners operating waste management projects in the region, to ensure no duplication of efforts or wasted resources.
Logo
The programme logo was designed jointly by the PacWastePlus communications officer and design consultants as part of the programme’s Communications and Visibility Plan, using symbology that captured the essence of the Pacific Region, including the representation of the 15 member countries and ideology based on our project work that focuses on a circular economy.
The 15 members are represented by the leaves which feature Pacific designs with the colours representing our Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia, and Timor-Leste country members. The green branch design represents not only a circular economy but also the PacWastePlus project itself which brings all member countries together to enhance waste management practices, policies, and advocacy in the Pacific.
Our latest resources
Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution - Technical Resource for Pacific Island Courtiers
Fact Sheet: Strengthening the Global Plastics Treaty with Indigenous Pacific People’s Knowledge
(Publications under review and may be updated prior to 30 September)
The global plastics treaty (GPT) mandates the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to create binding rules based on the best available science, traditional knowledge, knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local knowledge systems (Res 5/14). The knowledge and practices of Indigenous Pacific Island Peoples are deeply rooted in a respectful and mutual co-existence with the natural world. New materials, products, and technologies offer advantages, yet bring pollutants that were not present pre-colonization. Plastic pollution harms sustainability, ecosystems, culture, economies, health, and well-being. Polymers and petrochemicals are not produced in the region. Nevertheless, Pacific Islands communities are severely impacted by plastic pollution from the increasing volumes of plastics entering the region via trade, tourism, fishing, and tidal flows - and never leaving.
Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution - Technical Resource for Pacific Island Courtiers
Fact Sheet: Plastics Alternatives and Substitutes 101
(Publications under review and may be updated prior to 30 September)
Many INC delegates indicated that the scope of the treaty should include plastics alternatives and substitutes. However, there are no internationally agreed definitions of plastics alternatives nor plastics substitutes. Sound definitions will support fully informed treaty negotiations. International agreements emphasize the need to promote the human health, environmental, economic, and social risks, costs, and implications of alternative substances (e.g., Art. 9 Stockholm Convention1; see also Art. 1 Convention). International legal instruments also note that when considering substitutes, the potential environmental benefits or penalties of substitute materials or activities (i.e., negative externalities) must be considered.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has developed the following plastics alternatives and substitutes definitions: Plastics Alternatives are plastics not made with conventional fossil-fuel based polymers(i.e., bioplastics).
Plastics Substitutes are all other non-plastic materials that may be used to replace synthetic fossil fuel-based polymers and bioplastics. Some examples are glass, leather, wood, silk, paper, cotton, wool, stone, ceramic, and aluminum
Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution - Technical Resource for Pacific Island Courtiers
Fact Sheet: Plastics 101
(Publications under review and may be updated prior to 30 September)
This fact sheet is intended to support fully informed global plastics treaty negotiations by clarifying the terminology used to describe plastics as “polymers” or “materials” and not plastics as “products”.
In other words, this fact sheet explains plastics as the material that is produced and later manufactured into, for example, drink bottles, or takeaway containers.
More than 13,000 chemicals are used in plastics of which >3,200 are classified as hazardous1
Meet our team
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Bradley Nolan
Project Manager
Mr. Bradley Nolan is the PacWastePlus Project Manager. Bradley, an Australian National, is responsible for all elements of the project design and implementation, and works directly with donors and partners to ensure the best possible outcome is achieved through the donor funding.
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Lance Richman
Technical Waste Project Officer - Hazardous Waste
Mr. Lance Richman is the PacWastePlus Technical Waste Project Officer - Hazardous Waste. Lance is a national of the United States with more than 30 years’ experience in hazardous waste management and pollution control.
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Sainimili Bulai
Technical Waste Project Officer - Solid Waste
Ms. Sainimili Bulai is the PacWastePlus Technical Waste Project Officer – Solid Waste. Sainimili, a Fiji national, has a wealth of experience in waste management gained from her time at the Fiji, Department of Environment, Ministry of Waterways and Environment.
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Hilary Boyes
Technical Waste Project Officer - Resource Recovery
Ms. Hilary Boyes is the PacWastePlus Technical Waste Project Officer – Resource Recovery. Hilary, a New Zealand national, has more than 13 years’ experience as an Environmental Adviser from numerous countries including New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Cook Islands, Kiribati, and Tuvalu.
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Nitish Narayan
Communications Officer
Mr. Nitish Narayan is the PacWastePlus Communications Officer. Nitish, a Fiji national, has over 20-years of experience in communications and is leading the programme’s communications and visibility activities.
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Sela Soakai-Simamao
Finance and Procurement Officer
Ms. Sela Soakai-Simamao is the PacWastePlus Finance and Procurement Officer. A Tongan national, is responsible for the financial management, procurement activities, and management support to the PacWastePlus program team.
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Crystal Schwenke
Technical and Administration Officer
Ms. Crystal Schwenke is the Programme’s Technical and Administration Officer. Crystal, a Samoan national, is providing project assistance and support to the Programme Management Unit and country focal points on the implementation of the PacWastePlus Programme
Does your company provide waste management and recycling technological support?
We are interested in providing member countries with easy to access information on companies that either accept waste materials, or can supply waste management technology – register your companies details here.
Our implementation agency and donor
PacWastePlus is supported by the following organisation and donor:
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Programme implementation agency.
Our Programme Partners
PacWastePlus is supported by the following projects and organisations
SWAP
The Sustainable Waste Actions in the Pacific (SWAP) Project is funded by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). SWAP will span Fiji, French Polynesia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna with technical backstopping of New Caledonia.
GEF ISLANDS
SPREP and UNEP spent all of 2019 and 2020 undertaking a region-wide consultation with 14 of its members to develop a project proposal to be submitted to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Secretariat under its 7th round of funding. The GEF ISLANDS Project will commence in 2021 and will be implemented in 14 countries in the Pacific Region (Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu) with a budget of $20 million
Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP)
In 2019 the Australian Government commenced its Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP), implemented by SPREP, with a commitment of AUD $16 million. POLP aims to reduce single use plastics (such as plastic bags, take-away food packaging, plastic cutlery and straws, and PET bottles) in the coastal environments of Pacific Island countries.
JPRISM II
JICA/SPREP Solid Waste Initiative In order to realize the commitment of the Government of Japan at the 2nd PALM (Japan-Pacific Leaders' Meeting) in 2000, JICA started assisting PICs in terms of solid waste management in collaboration with SPREP.
Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility (PRIF)
PRIF provides an interface between development partners and its Pacific member countries to improve the quality and coverage of infrastructure and service delivery. It works to enhance coordination of PRIF partner investments in the Pacific and provide technical advice on infrastructure development and sustainable infrastructure management to PRIF partners and member countries.
Inform project
The Inform project will establish a Pacific island network of national and regional data repositories and reporting tools to support the monitoring, evaluation, and analysis of environmental information, which supports environmental planning, forecasting, and reporting requirements.
Project Partner News
