Cook Islands PacWastePlus Project

Cook Islands rely primarily on the disposal of waste to landfills, but the amount of waste received is exceeding the capacity of landfills and to continue to dispose of waste to landfill has significant costs, both environmental and financial. The focus of Infrastructure Cook Islands is on reducing solid waste to landfill, and they are focusing their PacWastePlus investment to support the implementation of an effective Sustainable Financing system for recoverable and recyclable items.

Project Description

Situation at 2018

Items are imported into the Cook Islands but there are limited viable options for their end-of-life management and/or export. As such, most items imported are disposed of at landfills or stockpiled on vacant land.

What was the Cook Islands Project About?

The Cook Islands seek to implement a Sustainable Financing system (known as the Advance Recovery and Disposal Fee) to fund the collection and recycling of specific recoverable items, diverting them from landfills by providing an incentive for consumers to return these goods so they do not become a waste issue managed on island. Project activities include:

• legislation to provide a long-term ability for the Cook Islands to collect and process targeted recyclable, bulky and electronic items
• facilities to enable the collection and processing of ARDF recyclable items from all islands in the Cook Islands
• awareness program designed to raise awareness of the ARDF and change household and community waste practices

Future situation

Cook Islands has been working towards the design and implementation of this sustainable financing system for many years and are very happy to utilise the PacWastePlus project to partially fund the system design and implementation.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

1. Legislative environment for the long-term operation of the Advanced Recovery & Disposal Fee 
2. System in operation collecting recyclables from Rarotonga and the Pa Enua
3. Communities effectively participating in the Advanced Recovery and Disposal Fee

Key outcomes from the Project Intervention

Outcomes and Impacts

Developed   consolidated   whole-of- government   approach   to   waste management, integrating user needs -including those of communities and service providers - with legislative frameworks, financing strategies, and Extended Producer Responsibility principles. 

By  incentivising  improved  waste management practices and empowering Pa Enua Governments, it enables the delivery of quality recycling services to communities that have previously lacked such infrastructure.

By providing equipment and training, the capacity of government staff was strengthened to collect, process, and add value to waste commodities, facilitating  access  to  recycling markets and reducing reliance on landfilling. Strategic partnerships with the private sector further enhance service delivery, ensuring sustainable, locally  driven  solutions  that  improve environmental outcomes and community well-being.

Key Project Achievements

• 2 new waste and pollutant management legal instruments drafted or adopted (Solid and Hazardous Waste Act (adopted), and Advanced Recovery and Disposal Fee Regulation (drafted))
• 11 new and 2 enhanced recycling facilities collecting/ processing recyclables established
• 12 government positions expanded to operate the Advanced Recovery and Disposal Fee scheme
• 23 training courses delivered increasing capacity to safely manage asbestos, e-waste, hazardous waste and hazmat, organics, schools curriculum, education and awareness, data management, waste auditing, depot operation, and equipment operation and maintenance
• 31,300m3 recyclable materials estimated to be collected per year from outer islands (estimated from Cook Islands Economic Modelling).

Supporting Documents

The following table provides a complete list of all documents developed during the project, including technical guidelines, training materials, reports, and communication resources. Where possible, links to the documents hosted on the SPREP website have been included to enable direct access.