Pollution Prevention and Waste Management

Pacific island countries, like the rest of the world, face serious problems with disposal of wastes and pollution.

Organic and most metal wastes can be recycled, and this is practised in a limited way in most rural areas. Increased urbanisation and growing populations have accelerated problems with the collection and disposal of both solid and liquid wastes.

Every year the importation of packaged consumer goods adds to the growing amount of non-biodegradable waste.

Pollution from industrial waste, sewage and disposal of toxic chemicals are significant contributors to marine pollution and coastal degradation.

The Pacific Region

The Region

Is as large as it is diverse;

Its 22 countries and territories are spread over an area of 30 million square kilometers;

Covers almost a sixth of the earth’s surface;

Only two percent of this area consists of land mass taking the form of about 7,500 islands, 500 of which are inhabited;

These islands range from large volcanic landforms with steep and mountainous terrain to low‐lying.

The countries and territories

14 PICs: Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

7 Territories: American Samoa, French Polynesia, Guam, New Caledonia, Northern Marianas, Pitcairn Island, Tokelau, Wallis & Futuna

Some of waste management practices that have been used in the region include

Inorganic waste disposal system, Atafu, Tokelau

Inorganic waste disposal system, Kiribati

Island waste disposal site, Kiribati

Tavua Rubbish Dump, Fiji

Port Vila Dump, Vanuatu

Baruni dump, Port Moresby, PNG

Ranadi dump, Honiara, Solomon Islands

Majuro dump site, Marshall Island

Managed chemical store, Lakena, Fiji

Chemical storage, Aitutaki, Cook Islands

Young boy swimming in polluted water

Why Pollution Prevention & WasteManagement?

Pollution has

been recognized in the region as one of the major threats to sustainable development

direct influence of the quality of people’s lives

direct and indirect linkage to economic prosperity

linkages to social aspects of life of the people in the region

Because of such concerns

It is important to put in place adequate measures to combat growing source and extent of pollution

Without these, the Pacific islands’ efforts to maintain healthy societies, to stimulate tourism, development and new investment and a sustainable future for its people may be severely undermined.

Regional and national priorities and activities have been developed to address this most pressing of environmental issues.

The Pollution Prevention & WasteManagement Programme

The work currently carried out in this programme is concentrated on three main focal areas:

Shipping‐related marine pollution

Hazardous materials management

Solid waste management.

Focus Area: Shipping-relatedMarine Pollution

Objective:

To assist countries to:

effectively manage marine pollution through the development; and

improvement of regulatory frameworks, management systems and operational procedures