18 November 2021, Apia - We are part of the problem and we need to be part of the solution. This was the general consensus from speakers and presenters during the technical sessions on the Private Sector Industry on the third day of the Third Clean Pacific Roundtable (3rdCPRT).
Moderated by Dr Karl Baltpurvins, of ENTECH Solutions, the virtual session focused on the question of why it is necessary for the private sector to be involved in waste management and pollution control. During the discussion, it became quite clear that the role of the private sector is pivotal since they offer solutions to communities that governments on their own would otherwise be unable to provide.
The session also heard from leaders in the industry on how they are supporting waste management with services such as waste storage, collection, treatment and transportation. For instance, the work done through the Moana Taka Partnership (MTP) where SWIRE Shipping vessels carry containers of recyclable waste from Pacific island ports, pro bono, to be sustainably treated and recycled in suitable ports, was applauded by the meetings participants.
“We believe in doing the right thing environmentally, sustainably,” said Mr Simon Bennett, General Manager Sustainable Development Division SWIRE Shipping. “You're responsible in the Pacific for ten percent of the world's oceans and there is a huge amount of solid waste, a lot of plastics which is ending up there, affecting the fisheries, tourism and it shouldn't be there.”
The MTP was birthed from the realisation of this grim reality. In December 2017 at the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, SWIRE Company, then known as China Navigation Company, started the discussion with SPREP. Three months later in 2018, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with SPREP was signed.
“We got together and we set up the Moana Taka partnership because we recognized that as a shipping company, we are part of the problem. We're bringing all this stuff in, we're emptying our containers, and then we take the empty container back out to the Pacific Rim ports, and load it with more barbie dolls and printer cartridges and soy sauce and bring it back in again. So we need to be part of the solution.”
From just three shipments at the start, the Moana Taka Partnership has grown from strength to strength with more than 100 shipments sent to different countries which process recycling materials in Asia Pacific. It has also expanded recycling capabilities to liquid waste such as used oils, which can then be recycled back into mechanical lubricants.
But there is more growth in the pipeline and Mr Bennett’s message to SPREP’s Pacific members during the 3rdCPRT was very simple.
“We can move far more than we are already moving. We have a lot of spare capacity at the moment so we need your help to fill it. We just need you to talk to us,” said Mr Bennett.
“Tell us what you've got. Tell us where you want to send it to because we, as a shipping company, have no knowledge or expertise in that area. There is nowhere on our route network that we cannot ship from and there is nowhere on our route network that we cannot ship to. So, if you know where you can ship it to, we will provide the container for free, and we will ship it for free to a place where it can be responsibly recycled.”
Mr Bennett clarified that the MTP ships hazardous waste too. “It’s not true that hazardous waste cannot be shipped. We can ship that provided we have a a Waigani or Basel Convention Prior Informed Consent between the country where you're shipping it from and the country where you are shipping it to.” He encouraged Pacific countries to get in contact with Mr Anthony Talouli, SPREP’s Acting Director of Waste Management, Pollution Control/Pollution Adviser, for assistance to arrange the suitable Consents.
The invitation was immediately welcomed by participants from the private sector – including other speakers. Ms Nancy Vito of Samoa Stationery and Books, highlighted the achievements of their Toner and E-Waste Take Back project and said they would love to work with MTP to increase the capacity of what they are doing.
“I couldn’t agree more that we are all part of the problem and as such, we all need to be part of the solution,” Ms Vito said.
Other speakers during the session were Ms Aurore Gloaghen, of ACOTRED, New Caledonia, Mr Tony Khoury, Executive Director of Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association of NSW, Mr Lindsay Teobasi, President of Solomon Islands Recyclers and Waste Management Association and Mr Kori Chan, Founder and Managing Director of Total Waste Management Papua New Guinea.
The 3rdCPRT continues.
ABOUT THE 3rd CPRT
The Third Clean Pacific Roundtable is a partnership event supported by New Caledonia, Acotred Pacific, Agence Francaise de Development (AFD), Australian Aid (AUS Aid), European Union (EU), Fonds Pacifique, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), UN Environment Program (UNEP), Province SUD and Province NORD.