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Niue Project Profile – Sustainable Management of Waste in Niue: Advance Recovery Deposit and Fee and E-waste Management

Items are imported into Niue in growing numbers, but there are currently limited viable options for their end-of-life management and/or export. As such, most items imported are disposed of at the dumpsites or stockpiled on vacant land. Electronic waste stockpiles, in particular, are increasing and resulting in increased pollution and health risks to Niue people. The priority for Niue is to introduce a financially sustainable system to enable the long-term collection, management, and export of recyclable and end-oflife electronic items, utilising the new Recycle Facility (funded by the Government of Australia).

The Niue Department of Environment seeks to focus their PacWastePlus investment to: 1) support the implementation of a Sustainable Financing system (known as the Advance Recovery Fee and Deposit - ARFD) 2) support the establishment of an electronic waste dismantling center to enable processing and export of electronic wast

Papua New Guinea Project Profile – Implementing Environmental Sound Management of Hazardous Waste

Hazardous waste management remains a challenge in Papua New Guinea (PNG) where exposure to toxic substances and chemicals has adverse impacts on public health and the environment. Increased exposure to hazardous waste is known to cause disease and create serious health problems. For many communities in PNG, water resources can be contaminated by pollutants through poorly managed waste handling and disposal. Post-World War II consumer habits have also greatly increased the amount of waste generated in PNG. The Papua New Guinea project will provide a holistic approach to hazardous waste management through the development of national strategies and regulations, and build capacity and community awareness, to help PNG achieve environmental, economic, social, and health benefits.

Republic of Marshall Islands Project Profile – Improving Solid Waste Management in Majuro: Diversion of 40% Waste from Landfill

The overflowing Jable–Batkan dumpsite in Majuro is an urgent problem for waste management faced in the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI). This dumpsite has long exceeded its design capacity with waste now pushed up to 17m high against a seawall on the ocean side of the atoll. The priority for RMI is to reduce waste disposal at the dumpsite. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeks to focus their PacWastePlus investment to introduce a programme to divert the largest two components of waste - organics (17%) and paper/cardboard (22%) - from disposal and instead be processed to compost at an organics facility. In addition to reducing 40% of waste disposal at the dumpsite, almost doubling its remaining lifespan, this project will provide local organic compost to communities to assist improve with soil quality and crop yield.

Solomon Islands Project Profile – Improving Solid Waste Management: Diversion of Organic and Recyclables from landfills

The predominant waste management solution offered in the Solomon Islands is landfilling, and recent audits suggest over half of all the waste to landfill is organic in nature and able to be composted rather than landfilled. A large amount of the remaining materials are recyclable - meaning the design and implementation of diversion projects could significantly reduce the amount of waste to landfills. As such, the Solomon Islands Government seeks to focus the PacWastePlus investment to design and implement an organic processing system to manage organic waste and will commence this work through the collection and processing of all organic wastes generated at the Gizo Market. In addition, the investment will be used to design and implement a sustainable financing system (Advance Recovery Fee and Deposit-ARFD) that will fund the collection and processing of recyclables. The introduction of these waste management systems has the potential to reduce the requirement for landfill space and therefore a substantial cost to the government and councils.

Timor Leste Project Profile – Health Care Waste Management: Improving long term management of healthcare waste

The exposure to wastes generated in health care facilities has direct health impacts on the community, the personnel working in healthcare facilities, and the environment. Poorly handled medical wastes by health care professionals, and waste management personnel have led to an elevated chance of disease and sickness. Improper management of healthcare wastes (through open burning) on land adjacent to hospitals leads to large areas of contaminated land, unusable for other purposes, and needing remediation. The National Directorate for the Environment under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Environment and the Ministry of Health seeks to utilise PacWastePlus funds to implement several interconnected activities to improve long-term management of healthcare waste in Timor Leste.

Tonga Project Profile – Asbestos Removal and Management in Tongatapu

Asbestos-containing materials are a major issue for many Pacific Island countries with a history of use of asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in construction. All forms of asbestos are carcinogenic to humans and inhalation of asbestos fibres that have become airborne can cause serious lung disease. The Department of Environment, from the Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications (MEIDECC), seeks to build on the process started by PacWaste and utilise PacWastePlus funds to address asbestos removal and management

Tuvalu Project Profile – Outer Island Waste Improvement: Expansion of the Waste Levy and Assessment of Asbestos

Recognising Tuvalu has insufficient space to continually rely on waste disposal and stockpiling, the Tuvalu Department of Waste Management (DWM) has recently implemented several initiatives to improve solid and hazardous waste management and reduce risks to their people and environment. Many of these initiatives have focused on the capital island, Funafuti - home to 50% of the population. The DWM now seeks to extend waste management initiatives to Tuvalu’s eight Outer Islands.

Vanuatu Project Profile – Sustainable Financing for Solid Waste Management in Vanuatu: Assistance to Establish a Product Stewardship Scheme

Waste received at the main Bouffa landfill in Vanuatu is comprised of up to 35% of beverage containers products (aluminium, PET, glass). Beverage containers are also commonly seen as litter and in informal stockpiles or burnt by communities in pits. Vanuatu has had limited success implementing long-term solutions for recovery of recyclable items, due to lack of financing, infrastructure, technical expertise, and formal waste collection services. The Vanuatu Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation (DEPC) views a Sustainable Financing system (known as a Product Stewardship Scheme (PSS)) as a solution to enable the collection and management of recyclable items. The DEPC, with the support of Donors and a Working Group of interested parties, has been developing the PSS since 2017. The DEPC seeks for PacWastePlus to support the completion of additional components of this pathway – with the goal of implementing the PSS.

Palau Project Profile – Improving the Management of End-of-Life Tyres: Resource Recovery system

The absence of a local market for used tyres (whole or shredded) has resulted in the high volume of EOLT stockpiles in the country (13,739m³ of whole tyres, and 100m³ of shredded tyres). The Environment Quality Control Board of Palau (EQCB) will focus their PacWastePlus investment to establish a sustainable resource recovery programme in Palau to effectively manage the existing End-of-Life Tyres (EOLT) stockpiled in the country. The project will establish a legal framework to effectively regulate tyre importation, establish a national standard to ensure long-lasting tyres are imported for use in the country, provide for the development of a funding mechanism to ensure the sustainable collection and processing of the EOLTs, as well as guide the practical use of the currently stockpiled, and any newly generates EOLTs.

A Guide to Developing Project Engagement Plans: Stakeholder Education and Awareness

This guiding document aims to assist the development and implementation of meaningful actions to support project engagement through focused education, awareness, cost-effectiveness, sharing of ideas, and make the most effective use of the resources available.

Model Regional Education and Awareness Plan

This Model Regional Education and Awareness Plan (REAP) provides an overarching approach, that can be referenced in PacWastePlus country project National Education and Awareness Plans (NEAP) to support the implementation of the PacWastePlus programme throughout the region. The model REAP is designed for anyone who leads, creates, or manages waste-oriented projects and programs to engage and communicate with a broad range of stakeholders in the Pacific Region.