News - Nov 8, 2024 Banaba Island in Kiribati develops Strategic Asbestos Management Plan

The Government and people of Banaba Island in Kiribati now have a single document that increases awareness of the locations of asbestos containing materials, guidance on how to identify and manage the materials, and how to safely remove them.

It follows the development of the Strategic Asbestos Management Plan (SAMP) through the PacWastePlus Programme which contracted Morecroft Environmental to undertake the work.

The activity included specialist abatement officers, and trained staff from Tarawa to travel by boat to Banaba Island, undertake training of local residents, and then safely remove asbestos containing materials from the local hospital and schools.

Over 30 tonnes of asbestos materials were removed and shipped to New Zealand for final disposal, the first such abatement works carried out on the island.

The process to develop the SAMP included assessment of 121 buildings on Banaba, and utilsed both field samples, and laboratory testing, identifying those buildings that contain asbestos .

“There are hundreds of tonnes of asbestos waste on the island of Banaba. The full extent of Asbestos Containing Materials on Banaba cannot be completely estimated. This asbestos waste will continue to be hazardous to the local population and the products degrade further the overall problem will only get worse over time, increasing the risk of exposure and associated health impacts,” said Mr. Dirk Catteral, Managing Director of Morecroft Environmental.

“The SAMP recommends all buildings showing a risk of medium or high be prioritised for abatement activities, and to establish a regular inspection programme to determine if risks increase due to degradation of the materials.

“We also recommend the development and introduction of an Asbestos management Code of Practice for Kiribati that will ensure the learnings from the Banaba Island activity, can be implemented across all islands.”