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PacWastePlus Project Snapshot – Republic of Marshall Islands

The Majuro Atoll Waste Company (MAWC), owned by the national government and the Majuro Atoll Local Government, is responsible for solid waste collection, landfill management, and recycling in Majuro. MAWC provides weekly collection services to around 80% of households in Majuro. The remaining houses are responsible for transporting their wastes to Majuro’s dumpsite. In outer islands, rubbish collection services are poor, ad-hoc, or completely absent. Many houses without collection services have instead created backyard pits. MAWC administers a Container Deposit system, collecting aluminum cans, PET bottles, and glass bottles.

File Size: 2.5MB, 5 pages PDF document

PacWastePlus Project Snapshot – Papua New Guinea

Waste management is a challenge for Papua New Guinea, primarily due to the size and geographic distribution of its population. There is no regulatory framework or legislation on solid waste management and few public awareness programs or initiatives. Pollution from large-scale mining activities are also a growing concern with numerous studies directly attributing pollution of coastal ecosystems to discharges from mining activities. PNG has over 21 unregulated disposal sites and two controlled sites located in Lae and Port Moresby. The government does not implement formal recycling programs. However, there are recycling operators in Port Moresby that collect beverage bottles, ULABs, used motor oil, scrap steel, and small quantities of PET bottles.

File Size: 2.5MB, 5 pages PDF document

PacWastePlus Project Snapshot – Palau

Waste collection is provided to approximately 77% of the population in Palau, and each state is responsible for its own waste management services. Koror state provides weekly collection to 100% of its residents, with the collected materials managed at the M-Dock landfill. Green waste is collected upon request. Outer island communities operate under a self-haul arrangement. Forty-two segregation facilities have been established in communities to accept mixed recyclables and residual waste. Palau implemented a Container Deposit Legislation on aluminum and steel cans, plastic, and glass bottles in 2011. This program records an 87.3% recycling rate.

File Size: 2.5MB, 5 pages PDF document

PacWastePlus Project Snapshot – Nauru

Waste is collected daily from the 14 districts. There is large variability in the management of waste. However, with the purchase of machinery, the collection system is expected to improve. The common disposal method in Nauru involves an open dump in the south-west part of the island. The dump covers a large area but is described as a threat to underground water reserves. Litter is a common problem.

File Size: 1.84MB, 5 pages PDF document

PacWastePlus Project Snapshot – Kiribati

There is large variability in the management of waste in Kiribati. The main island of Tarawa has three landfills, and there are two dumpsites (unregulated) located on Kiritimati Island. Household waste collection on Tarawa provided through municipal authorities, and a private Contractor oversees a pre-paid green bag collection. A Container Deposit recycling system exists on Tarawa, the ‘Kaoki Maange Recycling’ which has been in operation since 2004, collecting materials such as PET, aluminum, and lead-acid batteries. There are minimal collection services provided in the outer islands, as a result, waste is buried, burned, or disposed of at sea.

File Size: 1.84MB, 5 pages PDF document

PacWastePlus Project Snapshot – Fiji

The amendment of Fiji’s Public Health Act in 2018 enabled the expansion of garbage collection services, initially limited to municipal boundaries to all rural communities. There are several recycling companies established in the country, but challenges remain with providing incentives for local communities and collection services for recyclables. The major challenges in providing effective waste management in Fiji includes high operation costs associated with garbage collection services, the remote location of communities, increasing waste generation, and the location of approved disposal sites.

PacWastePlus Project Snapshot – Federated States of Micronesia

Each state has a public landfill for disposal of all waste and the operation of these disposal facilities is either done by the Department of Public Works and Transport of the municipal governments. Waste collection service varies from state to state and can be irregular. Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap have a Container Deposit System for the collection of PET bottles and aluminum cans.

File Size: 1.89MB, 5 pages PDF document

PacWastePlus Project Snapshot – Cook Islands

Waste management is a challenge for the Cook Islands, primarily due to the geographic dispersal of the population. Currently, the existing system for rubbish collection and recycling is limited to the islands of Rarotonga and Aitutaki, both have lined landfills and collect recyclables for processing and export. There are limited rubbish collection and very few recycling services in the outer islands. Illegal dumping and burning of household waste and inappropriate disposal of hazardous waste are significant issues in the outer islands. File Size: 2.85MB, 5 pages PDF document

Stocktake of Existing and Pipeline Waste Legislation in Tuvalu

This report contains the University of Melbourne (UoM) team’s findings relating to a stocktake of the existing legislative environment for waste management in the participating countries, focusing on the PacWastePlus priority waste streams of healthcare waste, asbestos, e-waste, plastic waste, recyclables, organics, disaster waste, bulky waste and wastewater, and including implementing legislation for the following multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs): Waigani, Basel, Stockholm, Rotterdam, and Minamata. It also includes a stocktake of pipeline legislative initiatives in the participating countries, including an assessment of their impact and approximate timeframe for development. This report provides details on a stocktake of existing and pipeline Waste Legislations in Tuvalu.

File Size: 2MB, 14 pages PDF document

Stocktake of Existing and Pipeline Waste Legislation in Tonga

This report contains the University of Melbourne (UoM) team’s findings relating to a stocktake of the existing legislative environment for waste management in the participating countries, focusing on the PacWastePlus priority waste streams of healthcare waste, asbestos, e-waste, plastic waste, recyclables, organics, disaster waste, bulky waste and wastewater, and including implementing legislation for the following multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs): Waigani, Basel, Stockholm, Rotterdam, and Minamata. It also includes a stocktake of pipeline legislative File Size: 4.0MB, 60 pages PDF document initiatives in the participating countries, including an assessment of their impact and approximate timeframe for development.

File Size: 4.0MB, 60 pages PDF document

Stocktake of Existing and Pipeline Waste Legislation in Timor-Leste

This report contains the University of Melbourne (UoM) team’s findings relating to a stocktake of the existing legislative environment for waste management in the participating countries, focusing on the PacWastePlus priority waste streams of healthcare waste, asbestos, e-waste, plastic waste, recyclables, organics, disaster waste, bulky waste and wastewater, and including implementing legislation for the following multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs): Waigani, Basel, Stockholm, Rotterdam, and Minamata. It also includes a stocktake of pipeline legislative initiatives in the participating countries, including an assessment of their impact and approximate timeframe for development. This report provides details on a stocktake of existing and pipeline Waste Legislations in Timor-Leste.

File Size: 2MB, 16 pages PDF document