Summary
E-waste is an emerging issue in the islands, as affluence increases, and accessibility to electrification, introduction of electric vehicles in some countries, an increase in design of cheap, replaceable electronic equipment, and an increasing digitisation of economies, means e-waste if growing in all communities, but active and effective management solutions are not keeping pace.
Although there was interest in e-waste management, only Niue and Papua New Guinea (PNG) included e-waste as part of their country projects.
Activities focusing on e-waste included provision of equipment and training for E-waste dismantling, assistance in the removal of e-waste stockpiles, and education and awareness.
Highlights
The Regional e-waste Project aimed to build stakeholder capacity and provide practical Pacific-specific resources to enable decision-makers to design and implement effective solutions to divert organic material from disposal to landfill and into a beneficial resource to support local growers and food production.
The key activities undertaken in the regional e-waste Project are outlined in the table below. Further details on the highlights are provided throughout the remainder of this chapter.
Issue | Description |
|---|---|
National e-Waste Strategy and Guidelines for PNG | The purpose of the e-waste strategy is to address the emerging challenge of managing e-waste in Papua New Guinea. The environmentally sound management of waste requires a strategy to guide the government and relevant stakeholders in delivering desired outcomes. Papua New Guinea have also acknowledged the need to develop associated guidelines for both implementation and compliance activities related to e-waste management activities, noting this is an existing issue for the country, and an emerging industry to address the waste currently being landfilled, dumped, or stockpiled. Alongside the strategy, three guidelines were prepared that, together, develop an effective legislative and operational framework for the improved management of e-waste in PNG. The guidelines support the operationalisation of the strategy, including the establishment of the administrative framework by government (central and local), the interface with global markets of the e-waste management system and practical information on the management of the processing including dismantling. The Implementation of the guidelines is the responsibility of the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA).
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E-waste processing facility and packaging and shipment to recycling | Niue’s Department of Environment (DOE) was supported to install an e-waste dismantling area inside their Resource Recovery Centre. The dismantling area includes mechanical equipment (industrial weigh scales, storage, bulk bags, collection units, pallet jack; hand-tools – screwdriver sets, spanner & socket sets, wire cutters, hex key sets; Power tools – cordless drills; and consumables – shrink-wrap, insulation tape, respiratory mask replacement filters) sufficient to undertake simple component dismantling to enable the off-shore sale of the commodities. The project utilised the e-waste stockpiles in Niue to train DOE staff in dismantling, and international packaging and shipping of e-waste to ensure the facility enhancements would continue to provide value to DOE. Niue shipped 8,648kg of e-waste to New Zealand for recycling. |
E-waste Dismantling/Processing Workshop/Training. | An industry leader was engaged to develop an e-waste processing training course suitable for the Pacific. The training was trailed during the Niue project and subsequently rolled out to interested countries (Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Niue, Cook Islands). The E-waste Management Training Programme is two-days and covers theory-based and physical e-waste management training (i.e., e-waste collection, handling, and pre-processing) for the seven e-waste categories defined by the European Union’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Battery Directives. There are eight operational training modules that span different aspects of safe and responsible e-waste life cycle management with specific focus areas, as below:
Each module includes video-based resources with instructional content demonstrating physical tasks that training participants will undertake during hands-on training components. Following delivery of video-based content, training instructors will physically demonstrate module material. Training participants then take part in physical training activities using the knowledge they have gained in theory-based training, and this will lead to hands-on operational experience for all related e-waste management tasks and procedures included in the training programme. Quizzes are included to ensure competency in the materials.
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Assessment of Small-Scale Technology Suitable for Waste Management in the Pacific and Timor-Leste | This report summarises the most appropriate waste management technologies with consideration to the inherent constraints of the Pacific Island region. This research focused on investigating the range of technology options and providers for the priority waste streams. The technologies identified were deemed capable of assisting with the management of one or more of the priority waste streams. |
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.
Document | Link |
E-waste Management in the Pacific Video | |
Model National E-waste Strategy & Guidelines | https://library.sprep.org/content/model-national-e-waste-strategy-guidelines |
Case Study – Niue: International E-Waste Export Case Study | https://library.sprep.org/content/niue-international-e-waste-export-case-study |
E-waste management in the Pacific (video resource) | https://library.sprep.org/content/e-waste-management-pacific-video |
Model National E-Waste Strategy & Guidelines | https://library.sprep.org/content/model-national-e-waste-strategy-guidelines |