Palau PacWastePlus Project

The Palau project implemented by the Solid Waste Management Division of the Bureau of Public Works and the Environment Quality Protection Board (EQPB) sought to introduce an effective management programme for End-of-Life Tyres (EOLT). The project established a legal framework to effectively regulate tyre importation and a national standard to ensure long-lasting tyres are imported for use in the country, as well as provide practical uses for the End-of-Life tyres currently stockpiled.

Project Description

Situation in 2018

End-of-Life Tyres are expensive to send overseas for environmentally sound management and there are no in-country reuse options for End-of-Life Tyres in Palau. This has resulted in illegal dumping and stockpile of EOLT in the country. An audit of Palau’s waste stream in 2019, identified 13,739m³ of EOLT stockpiled in the country which included 100m³ of shredded tyres.

What was the Palau's Project About?

Palau developed a recovery programme in Palau to process End-of-Life Tyres given the high cost of exporting tyres for Environmentally sound management.

• Activities included:
  Design of a waste management system that will support local authorities in the management of EOLT in Palau.
• Establish a national tyre importation standard and determine an environmentally sound management system for EOLT in Palau.
• Introduction of a legal framework to allow for the collection and repurposing of End- of -Life tyres
• Facilitate training for local officers to build in-country capacity in the operationalisation of the EOLT management system designed and enforcement of the new legal framework.

Future Situation

Palau seeks to have an effective and self-funding solution for the collection and repurposing of End-Of-Life Tyres in the country.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

1.  Provide guidance on the introduction of sustainable legislative environment in Palau that provides for the environment sound management of End-of-Life Tyres
2.  Implement effective resource recovery programme in Palau through efficient infrastructure .
3.  Build capacity of local business, and community on End-of-Life Tyres management programme.

Key Outcomes from Project Implementation

Key Outcomes & Impacts

The Government of Palau adopted a systematic change and improvement to the tyre industry and construction industry through the introduction of a national End-of-Life- Tyre repurposing program to utilise waste tyres in local infrastructure projects.

This initiative included the development of importation standards to ensure only durable and long-lasting tyres enter the local tyre market, reducing the frequency of tyre disposal. Engineering standards for utilising end-of-life-tyres into local infrastructure projects, such as constructing retaining walls and roadway.

The provision of large-scale plant equipment supported the processing of both newly generated and existing stockpiled tyres to mitigate environmental hazards and foster economic opportunities through the creation of value-added products.

The general community engaged in the work through participation in amnesty drives, enabling the free collection of end-of-life tyres, and through awareness in sustainable waste management practices via TV and Radio.  

Key Project Achievements

• 1 National Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy
• 1 End-of-Life Tyres Management Strategy
• 1 Tyre Recycling Facility with machinery receiving and processing End-of-Life Tyres
• 1  Public Private Partnership established for the operation of the
• 1 Tyre Recycling Facility
• 7 training courses delivered increasing capacity of Palau staff to safely manage healthcare waste, hazardous waste and hazmat, waste data collection and reporting, schools curriculum, and equipment operation and maintenance
• 419 end-of-life tyres removed from local communities for reprocessing

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.