AGRICULTURAL WASTE MANAGEMENT AND WASTE MANAGEMENT ISSUES FOR THE PACIFIC and its IMPACT ON THEIR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

SPREP Annual Reports and International Waters Project Information relating to Pacific SIDS Agricultural Waste programmes has been documented by a number of agencies SPREP Annual Reports and International Waters Project UNEP – Review of Current Waste Management Practices and Existing Guidelines SOPAC – waste water systems (South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission)

WHAT IS AGRICULTURAL WASTE? Agricultural waste for Pacific SIDS is recognized as: By product from agriculture produce e.g coconut husk or coconut shells that can be transformed into crafts, or charcoal for barbecue fires. Using an agricultural product such as Hyacinth for composting and as a pig food ingredient in Fiji Mulching leaves, twigs for composting e.g. Palau, Fiji and Cook Islands Processing the end product of an agricultural produce e.g. Copra oil

COPRA OIL BIOFUEL Pacific Islands are studying bio and locally available alternatives to the use of fossil fuel (majority of islands use diesel driven electricity generators) The first long-term experiment on biofuel for electricity generation was done in Ouvéa, New Caledonia, and two pilot plants have been set up in Fiji recently. In the Marshall Islands and Vanuatu, the local oil mills are currently engaging on testing the viability of using copra oil for power generation and its use in transportation. Kiribati is going to open a new oil mill that it plans to use copra oil for soap production, cosmetics, etc, and to replace fossil fuel, where feasible.  In Vanuatu a hundred public transports including some private vehicles are running on coconut oil. The concept of using copra oil as bio-fuel is not new but it has to be continued, making use of the earlier experiences, and leading to a competitive use of copra oil as compared with fossil fuel.

COPRA OIL BIOFUEL Cook Islands through Tom Wichman conducted tests in 1999. Although not successfully completed because of high cost, it demonstrated the fact this would be an alternative energy source to wind and solar for electricity generation, especially in the Cook Islands Northern Group islands where there is an abundance of copra. These initiatives and information exchange is via a network of information with the South Pacific Community who are promoting and coordinating a Regional Network for research and development on biofuel energy from coconut oil. COPRANET Copra Oil for Power as a Renewable Alternative NETwork) at http://www.spc.int/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?join=copranet

Other integrated biosystems include Animal waste from pigs which is gravity fed to a bio-digester with wash water and the gas production is used for cooking e.g. Cook Islands experiment in 1999 and Fiji Mountfort Boys town by Professor George Chan of Japan which was very successful  Samoa since 2000 – there has been a study to use aquatic plants for the treatment of brewery ‘waste and to investigate how spent grains and yeast can be used in poultry feed, in addition to mushroom cultivation. The project was funded by SIDA and executed by the Department of Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, in co-operation with the USP-Alafua Campus (scavenger chicken project); and Vailima Brewery (‘waste’ water treatment project)

Bio Fuel Experiments and Lessons Learnt for Sustainable Development Lack of structured management in some of the pilot projects Cost of testing and limited ongoing funding Technology is still not reliable Requires a committed private sector partner or long term commitment from Governments Regional organization support and Donor funding where possible Building capacity in the region Supportive institutional arrangements to make them work Technical experts to document the tests fully.

Issues about waste in order to achieve sustainable development goals Waste starts with communities It has to be personalised and localised. Waste starts with people living in communities and the solution will have to be found there Who pays? must take into account the likely inability of low income families to make regular cash contributions which indicates an economic imperative to develop low cost options Must see any benefits accruing back to the community directly

Issues about waste in order to achieve sustainable development goals Who will do the work? PIC’s have limited technical staff who have the capacity to carry out the work necessary Who will make the decisions? Efficient institutional arrangements to ensure, regular collections and maintenance with clear roles and functions allocated to the various agencies – most Governments in PIC’s encourage coordination and sharing of information Lack of coordination can lead to duplication of effort by various agencies as well as by Donors Land issues in PIC’s where land is customary owned therefore there could be protracted negotiations.

Issues about waste in order to achieve sustainable development goals What do people think? Although PIC’s may be similar in some respects their communities are unique and diverse – communicating the issues of waste is an important aspect of implementing waste management strategies.

Options for addressing the waste management problems In Pacific SIDS IMPORTANT TO NOTE The situation in each country is invariably different and requires the development of a specific strategy / plan (solution) to improve the situation. Each country is unique However waste is a transboundary issue – poor waste practices on one island will have an impact on another island.

Options for addressing the waste management problems In Pacific SIDS Three of the most critical aspects that need to be addressed to maximise the chances of success of the plan are ownership of the plan through a structured community awareness and education program developing effective institutional arrangements, sound practical legislation, regulations and policies and developing and implementing a mechanism for generating sustainable funding for waste management services and infrastructure

WHERE ARE PACIFIC SIDS TODAY The Pacific SIDS are fortunate in that waste management issues have been identified as potentially having major impacts on the health, the environment and the economies within the region. Regional and UN agencies have responded in developing the following waste management guidelines for Pacific SIDS.

WHERE ARE PACIFIC SIDS TODAY This is mainly due to the efforts of SPREP (solid and hazardous wastes) and SOPAC (sanitation and wastewater) in identifying waste management as a potential major problem within the region and developing guidelines for sound waste management. These organizations have developed programmes and acquired funding to address waste management problems that could otherwise have severe impacts on public health, the environment and economic growth. The other two regional organizations that play an important role are:  South Pacific Community (SPC) Forum Secretariat (Leaders of Pacific Countries Forum)  

Recycling Activities in selected Pacific SIDS  

Regional Waste Management Issues for Pacific SIDS Insufficient government priority and political support Insufficient practical legislation, regulations, design standards and guidelines, monitoring and enforcement Insufficient data to allow efficient planning and management Insufficient infrastructure Lack of short and long term planning

Regional Waste Management Issues for Pacific SIDS Lack of skilled personnel Lack of public awareness of problems caused by poor waste management and consequent lack of public education on what they can easily do to avoid many of the current problems Lack of finance A particular lack of guidelines, procedures and policy for the treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes.

Regional Waste Management Issues for Pacific SIDS Most of the above issues are cross cutting and inter related. To implement any of the above you must have finance and government support. To get government support and finance you need data and skilled personnel to develop efficient planning and management strategies.