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Much attention has been drawn towards the impact of climate change on small pacific island communities, which are among the most vulnerable. In these communities, climate change has become a cross sectoral issue including solid waste management. In this sector, the issue becomes even more acute when considering natural disasters since the quantity and diversity of waste generated during such events greatly exceeds the local technical and financial capacity.

By observing is by learning and observing how our ocean function can be a lesson learnt from it

J-PRISM supported Pacific Island Countries (PICs)to attend the Fourth Regional 3R Forum in Asia held in Ha Noi, Viet Nam from 1820 March 2013, which is a high level Forum co-organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE)/Government of Vietnam, Ministry of the Environment of the Government of Japan (MoEJ), and the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) to promote 3R, proper waste disposal, and resource efficiency.

This report covers the Vanuatu component of a project involving waste oil audits in Fiji and Vanuatu to establish volumes of hydraulic and lubricating oils imported annually into these countries and to confirm the volumes of waste oil produced, stored or otherwise disposed. The work was carried out by Contract Environmental Ltd under a contract to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), with funding provided by the French Development Agency. Most of the information required for the audit was obtained in a country visit to Vanuatu which took place from 22 to 26 October 2012 and was organised through the Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation (DEPC). There are two major suppliers of lubricating and hydraulic oil in the country and a number of other minor suppliers. Based on Customs’ import data, the total imports of lubricating and hydraulic oil are around 750,000 L per year.

This report covers the Fiji component of a project involving waste oil audits in Fiji and Vanuatu to establish volumes of hydraulic and lubricating oils imported annually into these countries and to confirm the volumes of waste oil produced, stored or otherwise disposed. The work was carried out by Contract Environmental Ltd under a contract to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), with funding provided by the French Development Agency. Most of the information required for the audit was obtained in a country visit to Fiji which took place from 28 Oct to 3 Nov 2012 and was organised through the Fiji Department of Environment.

This mission was prompted by a request for Solid Waste Management Assistance from the Ministry of Lands, Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources (MLECCNR). The goals of the mission were to : 1) establish a basic understanding of the waste management activities in Tonga; ii) provide a general update of SPREP waste management initiatives; iii) identify waste management areas for future SPREP assistance; and iv) provide immediate technical advise on relevant matters as necessary.