Waste Management and Pollution Control
Motor oils and other lubricants are widely used across the Pacific islands in cars, buses, trucks and in generators in power stations. As a consequence, the environmentally sustainable disposal of used lubricants and engine oil is a significant problem for Pacific island countries. How to improve poor disposal practices was the highlight of discussions at a recent meeting with Pacific island countries, organised through SPREP's Global Environment Facility Pacific Alliance for Sustainability (GEFPAS) - Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Release Reduction Project.
The meeting was attended by 12 Pacific countries, including the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
A key component of the GEFPAS POPs project is to assist Pacific Island Countries in implementing sustainable used oil export and reuse systems. This is important, as used oil typically contains a range of compounds that are detrimental to both human health and the environment. These compounds include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, additives and antioxidants, trace levels of chlorinated solvents and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
"The improper disposal of used oil through open burning or dumping on the land or in sensitive aquatic habitats can also result in the formation of unintentional persistent organic pollutants" said Ms Lusiana Ralogaivau, the SPREP GEFPAS project coordinator.
Managing used oil in a sustainable way requires the development and implementation of an appropriate management framework that promotes shared used oil management responsibility by all stakeholders at national and regional levels.
Support for countries to manage oil in a sustainable way is being provided by SPREP through the Global Environment Facility Pacific Alliance for Sustainability (GEFPAS) - Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Release Reduction Project.
Storage of used oil in Niue
"The GEFPAS project, in collaboration with the French Development Programme (AFD) has recently completed the auditing of used oil management practices in 10 Pacific Island Countries as a first step in implementing sustainable used oil management practices in the Pacific," said Mr Anthony Talouli, the Pollution Adviser at SPREP.
Mr Talouli emphasised the need for regional institutional reforms implemented through national used oil Steering Committees. "These reforms will enable the collection, storage and reuse of used oil and lubricants in an environmentally sound manner into the future" he said.
The GEF Pacific POPs release Reduction is a 5-year GEF Funded project, co-funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD). UNEP is the project implementing agency.
The meeting was attended by 12 Pacific countries, including the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
Used oil drums in Nauru
A key component of the GEFPAS POPs project is to assist Pacific Island Countries in implementing sustainable used oil export and reuse systems. This is important, as used oil typically contains a range of compounds that are detrimental to both human health and the environment. These compounds include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, additives and antioxidants, trace levels of chlorinated solvents and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
"The improper disposal of used oil through open burning or dumping on the land or in sensitive aquatic habitats can also result in the formation of unintentional persistent organic pollutants" said Ms Lusiana Ralogaivau, the SPREP GEFPAS project coordinator.
Managing used oil in a sustainable way requires the development and implementation of an appropriate management framework that promotes shared used oil management responsibility by all stakeholders at national and regional levels.
Support for countries to manage oil in a sustainable way is being provided by SPREP through the Global Environment Facility Pacific Alliance for Sustainability (GEFPAS) - Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Release Reduction Project.
Storage of used oil in Niue"The GEFPAS project, in collaboration with the French Development Programme (AFD) has recently completed the auditing of used oil management practices in 10 Pacific Island Countries as a first step in implementing sustainable used oil management practices in the Pacific," said Mr Anthony Talouli, the Pollution Adviser at SPREP.
Mr Talouli emphasised the need for regional institutional reforms implemented through national used oil Steering Committees. "These reforms will enable the collection, storage and reuse of used oil and lubricants in an environmentally sound manner into the future" he said.
The GEF Pacific POPs release Reduction is a 5-year GEF Funded project, co-funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD). UNEP is the project implementing agency.