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Pacific island countries and territories offer rich ecosystems that are threatened by population and urbanisation growth and changing consumption patterns leading to increased waste generation. The SWAP project assists six beneficiary countries and territories, those being: Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna, in implementing sustainable waste management actions.

Les pays et territoires insulaires du Pacifique offrent des écosystèmes riches mais menacés par la croissance démographique et l’urbanisation, ainsi que par l’évolution des modes de consommation menant à une production accrue de déchets. Le projet SWAP aide six pays et territoires bénéficiaires, à savoir les Fidji, les Îles Salomon, les Samoa, les Tonga, le Vanuatu et Wallis-et-Futuna, à mettre en oeuvre des mesures de gestion durable des déchets.

Marine litter negatively affects the environment, people and coastal economies around the world. In the Pacific region, the problem is even more severe given countries’ reliance on healthy ocean ecosystems and services.

Sustainable Coastlines is providing in person training for communities and associations involved in the implementation of the SWAP Marine litter Pilot Projects, to enable them to conduct statistically sound beach litter surveys and audits during clean-up activities and to enable them to record this data using the Litter Intelligence online application for Marine Litter data sharing.

Motor oils are used in internal combustion engines or associated mechanical parts. Their main function is lubrication of moving parts, but they also clean, inhibit corrosion and cool the engine by transferring heat. Motor oils are derived from petroleum-based and non-petroleum synthesised chemical compounds. Similarly, hydraulic fluids are low compressibility oils that transfer power in hydraulic machinery. Common hydraulic fluids are also based on mineral oils.

Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) are under increasing pressure from development and growing human population and the social and economic pressures associated with this growth. Increased populations and urbanisation have led to increased product imports and waste generation.

Every year, the amount of plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems is estimated between 9-14 million tons and this projection could nearly triple to 23-37 million tons per year by 2040.

The overall work covered in this project is funded by the Agence francaise de development (AFD), referred to hereafter as Committing Sustainable Waste Actions in the Pacific (SWAP) and it aims to improve sanitation, environmental, social, and economic condition in Pacific Island countries and territories through proper waste management.

Le 15 janvier 2022, le royaume des Tonga a été violemment touché par une éruption volcanique et un tsunami qui ont dévasté une partie du pays. Malgré le traumatisme, le peuple tongien et les autorités ont travaillé ensemble au nettoyage afin de reconstruire le pays aussi vite que possible. Voici le bouleversant témoignage des différents acteurs qui ont participé à cet effort collectif.

On Saturday 15 January 2022, the Kingdom of Tonga was violently affected by the powerful eruption of the hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai underwater volcano. The eruption - one of the biggest in Tonga in the last 30 years - triggered a strong tsunami that devastated coastal areas