The traditional image of Pacific Nation States is white sandy beaches and coconut palms. True, but only part of the story.
Many, but not all, have a real challenge with pollution – mainly plastic, end of life vehicles (EOLV), asbestos and general waste.
Pacific Island governments have so many competing issues that waste management often gets pushed to the bottom of the priority list. It is a real pity because it not only affects public health and quality of life, but also severely restricts tourism which is a significant economic contributor.
I recently travelled around Pacific Island nations, doing two different training programs – Clinical waste management in hospitals and Teacher waste education.
- I have had the great pleasure to visit 17 of the 21 Pacific Island Countries and Territories.
- It has been an eye opener to the challenges some of our nearest neighbours are facing.
- Like many of us, I have had holidays in the Pacific – indulging in the horizon pools, white sandy beaches and cocktails.
- But this trip has taken me to the less touristy places. To the heart of urban capitals of the poorest Pacific Nations.
I don’t want to embarrass their governments so I am not going to name the ones doing it toughest. They know who they are. They just don’t have the money (usually from international donors) or the permanent staff, to get reform done.
It is not like waste is the key issue. Climate change and sea level rise is the issue of the hour, day, year and foreseeable future. And so it should be. It is big and intractable and not of their making.
But this article is about general waste management and what can or could, be fixed right now. With donor support.
To give you a picture of the issues in many (though not all) countries:
- Many smaller nations do not have potable water supplies, so must drink bottled water. They suffer massive plastic bottle pollution. Most do not have functioning Container Deposit Schemes.
- Extended Producer Schemes (EPR) for packaging are currently limited to 5 countries while another 5 are developing EPR legislation, as we speak. The remaining have no such plans. Put another way the vast majority are suffering significant pollution that they should not have to.
- Waste collection systems can be rudimentary or non-existent. So general waste is often just piled up outside the house for the chickens and pigs to shuffle through. The plastic of course, just persists.
- End of life vehicles (EOLV) are endemic. In fact, of the 17 Countries/Territories I recently visited, only 2 had EOLV recycling and export (another is progressing that way).
- Almost all recycling is uneconomic because of export shipping costs and the fact that landfilling is free or cheap, on island.
- Even where waste/recycling collection systems exist, service can be very sporadic because of a lack of training, parts and servicing. (A baler is broken or a collection truck needs parts).
- Many hospitals do not have operational incinerators to properly dispose of clinical waste, syringes, body parts etc. Open burning in pits is common. On my travels, 80% of incinerators were not working.
- Asbestos pollution is particularly bad in a couple of nations.
- Landfill management is rudimentary and many are just open dumping areas. More frightening, many are highly vulnerable to sea level rise and could be simply washed into the sea. Fixing these must be a priority.
SPREP, (the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, an independent intergovernmental organisation established with UNEP support) is doing its best but is reliant on donor funding, and donors generally set the priorities for projects.
If I was an international donor trying to make a difference, I would immediately fund the following:
- Delivering basic waste collection and landfilling services to communities that don’t have it. Fixing many of the 100+ landfills is a critical priority, particularly those in vulnerable locations.
- Setting up common container deposit schemes for plastic bottles. A decent container rebate would immediately remove a massive source of pollution and help fund collection and recycling. There are some attempts, but they often fail due to the sporadic nature of funding.
- Establishing a common EOLV recycling scheme with a mobile operation that can travel country to country. (Expensive relative to dumping by the roadside, but so necessary!)
- Ensuring all hospitals have working incinerators. SPREP has already developed the project scope. It just needs donors.
This is NOT complicated and is pretty easy to do. It is not sexy either, I freely admit. And it must be implemented along initiatives to cut down on waste generation, including potable water infrastructure to cut down on plastic bottle use.
I offered MRA services (for free), to assist any donor that was prepared to fund any part of the above. I repeat that offer here. I am sure other consultants would make the same offer and join a combined effort.
But it requires moving waste management and its health implications, up the donor priority list.