News - Oct 18, 2021 Vanuatu Working Group Working Towards Sustainable Financing

The Vanuatu Department of Environment Protection and Conversation (DEPC) views a sustainable financing system as an effective way to respond to increasing challenges of waste management.

Since 2017, the DEPC has been working with other Government and Private Sector stakeholders to design the Vanuatu Product Stewardship Scheme (also known as an Advance Recovery Fee and Deposit).  This scheme is intended to provide a long-term self-sustaining system for the collection, processing, and export of recyclable items in Vanuatu, no longer completely reliant on variable government funding.  Through sustainable financing, the recyclable items themselves provide the funding for their recycling.

The Working Group meets regularly to discuss how the Product Stewardship Scheme can be designed to be appropriate to the Vanuatu context.  Items discussed by the group include what materials the scheme will collect, how it will best be managed, what will be the role of the government, and how it can be designed to ensure it is inclusive to all ni-Vanuatu.

The Product Stewardship Scheme has been approved by the Vanuatu Council of Ministers and legislative drafting is currently underway.  DEPC has requested PacWastePlus support to assist with the implementation of the Product Stewardship Scheme, providing training, consultation, collecting legacy waste, and developing awareness materials.