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.

SCM

PWPL
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

Resource Template

21 Step Advance Recovery Fee and Deposit (ARFD) Workbook

Designing and implementing a successful, evidence-based ARFD is a multifaceted process, requiring the collection of data, undertaking meaningful stakeholder consultation, and acknowledging and incorporating differing views to make decisions to meet the specific local needs. It may feel like a daunting process. The 21-Step Pathway breaks the process down into logical, manageable steps.

This Workbook is designed to assist users through the completion of each of the 21 steps at a self-managed pace. Each step on the 21-Step Pathway is a chapter in the Workbook.

This Workbook can be used by anyone seeking to design an ARFD scheme to be set in legislation or regulation. It will be of value to by any individual or group involved in the design of an ARFD scheme, for example:

• Government representatives investigating the feasibility of an ARFD scheme or who have been tasked with developing a scheme
• A Working Group tasked with developing a scheme, or contributing to one or more steps of the 21-Step Pathway
• Private Sector or NGO representatives seeking to assist with the design of an ARFD scheme, or contributing to one or more steps of the 21-Step Pathway

The broad goals of an ARFD Scheme are to improve rates of recycling through the provision of an incentive for consumers to recycle (by providing an immediate financial reward (the refund of their “deposit”) when they drop eligible items at a depot), changing behaviour away from littering, burning, or disposing to landfill, and a self-sustainable funding source for governments/recyclers to undertake the collection, transport, processing, and export/recycling of recoverable materials (using the “fee” component which is calculated as the true cost of recycling each eligible item), providing an economically viable ability to undertake recycling/transfer activities long term, not reliant on variable government funds.

Meet our team

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

European Union

Programme funding donor.

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.