Nauru Country Report on Hazardous Waste

1. Nauru Country Report on Hazardous Waste

2. 1. National Profile: • Population:- 11,200 • GDP:- $4,500 AUD per capita • Main Economic Activity:- Phosphate Mining and Export • Main Industries:- Phosphate Mining and Private Business • Government/Administration:- The environmental impact lies with the Department of Commerce, Industry & Resources (CIR). The Department has an established NCC group that coordinates the ground level activities for any environmental impact and reports them to the Secretary of CIR.

3. National Profile: (Cont) • Technical Services:- Technical services related to the management of domestic waste are handled mostly by the Ministry of CIR in collaboration with the Nauru Rehabilitation Corporation (NRC) • Environment:- Nauru is an island 21 square kilometres or 8 square miles. It is situated 42 kilometres south of the equator. People are living around the coastal fringe of the island • Due to the state of interior of the island, it has become the dumping ground for many hazardous wastes, chemicals, domestic waste, and surgical waste from hospital

4. 2. Industry Profile: • Sectors:- RONPHOS and Nauru Rehabilitation Corporation (NRC) • Location:- Aiwo and Meneng District • Output:- RONPHOS exported 600-800 metric tonnes phosphate yearly & NRC collects most of the hazardous waste around the island and dumped them at the open land fill at topside • Employment:- RONPHOS Corporation & NRC has local and specialized expatriate personnel who were contracted to work for the Corporations for the duration of usually two years, which is subject to renewal there after

5. 3. Negative Environmental factors on Hazardous Waste dumping and disposal • The Hazardous Waste that exist on Nauru is mainly a result being primary products or by-products of Nauru’s island industries. • Nauru has approximately 10 transformers which have been dumped in the mined out phosphate areas in the central plateau estimated to have 5000 litres of PCB in the past, and also other Hazardous Waste materials being dumped in the same area which is unknown for how many • The dumping of these hazardous waste materials in such a place, though far from the populated areas is still subject to human exposure due to Nauruans regularly venturing to the central plateau in search of “local” food such as noddy birds, mangoes, beans and almonds • The burning of Phosphate results in the production of Cadmium slimes which is dumped in the bush near Bauda District residential area

6. Negative Environmental factors on Hazardous Waste dumping and disposal: (Cont) • There have been evident of contamination in the marine area also, due to sewage pipes being built to discharge directly into the sea • Damage to the reef is also evident as a result of the spillages and run-off from various oil storage areas at the vehicle workshops situated near the beach allowing their waste oil to discharge on the surrounding land or into the sea • As function of incomplete waste collection services, household refuse is commonly burnt in 200Litres of steel drums, or open fires • This burning is currently considered to be a method of waste disposal

7. 4. Main Types of important Hazardous Waste in Nauru • There are 4 main hazardous waste products used in Nauru which are imported through RONPHOS Corporation and other Businesses. They are as follows:- • Petrol • Diesel • Heavy fuel • Oil • Lubricant oils and transformer oils are imported in drums. Their consumption is approximately 200 drums/month

8. 5. Main sources of waste oil & hazardous waste are as follows:- • Power station engine oils (100 drums/month) • RONPHOS workshops collected oils in drums and disposed them at the dump site • Spillages and run-off (power station, oil storage areas, vehicle workshops) some collected but most is discharged around the surrounding of the land • For this reason, because of lacking proper infrastructure and facilities made available to cater these hazardous waste materials and product

9. Main sources of waste oil and hazardous waste on the island are as follows:- (Cont) • Domestic sources:- unknown • Ship ballast water (may be contaminated with oil)- harbour discharge • There is also known to be significant area of below ground oil contamination in Aiwo District, in area used for oil storage during the war and the cause of spillages made by the RONPHOS Corporation activities undertaken in the past

10. 6. Extent of Current Treatment, recycling or Disposal Facilities: • Current disposal of hazardous waste method is by burning in the open dumping area. Domestic waste are incinerated or buried on site at the open dumping site • The landfill is administered by the NRC • The current landfill practice is likely to produce a post-closure surface where depressions emerge overtime owing to differential settlements of waste in between the pinnacles • To date, no treatment facility exists on the island for its hazardous waste

11. 7. Current Hazardous Waste Management System: • The NRC is presently implementing the collection service of hazardous waste in general • The system of collection is based on scheme whereby each households which have purchased a 240L plastic wheel bin from NRC at a subsidized rate of AU$100.00 is been provided with the service • Anything to do with policy development regarding environmental issues is done by the CIR Department • They are the leading agency to take the lead in tackling overall environmental issues including hazardous waste on the island

12. 8. Current Policies and Regulation to reduce and Control Pollution, Solid Waste disposal and Hazardous Waste • To date, there is an environment law which is ready and yet to be tabled in Parliament • This environment law was established early this Year with the guidance of SPREP consultant during one of the workshops held in Nauru • It is to regulate and police the storage, treatment and any disposal of hazardous waste in Nauru

13. 9. Organizations Responsible for: • Pollution:- CIR and RONPHOS • Solid Waste:-CIR and Nauru Rehabilitation Corporation • Hazardous Waste:-CIR and Nauru Rehabilitation Corporation • Toxic Chemicals:-CIR and Health Ministry • Industry Permits:-CIR • Export/Import of Waste and Chemical:-CIR and Immigration Department • Environmental Monitoring:-CIR • Clean Technologise:- None existent • Hazardous Materials Emergency Response:- CIR

14. 10. Current Hazardous Waste Management: • There is presently one organization on Nauru which operates the management of the ground level activities for the collection of hazardous waste services and that is the NRC • The operation of these services is co-ordinated only to the point that each organization is responsible to different sectors of the Nauruan Community for waste collection • Collection of hazardous waste on Nauru could be greatly improved only if financial support is made available to establish proper hazardous waste facilities and more capacity building training provided in order to be effective in managing hazardous waste at the national level

15. 11.Assistance is Needed to Upgrade or Improve Hazardous Waste Management system: • Though there is a system already existed for hazardous waste collection, better education and training programmes needs to be provided for effective treatment and storage • Proper facilities and structure in place for the storage and treatment of sewage • Private business and industry will need to be targeted. Vehicle workshops need to create catchments system for their oil run-off and spillages • Rather than burning the waste, maybe assistance could be given in providing financial support to actually transport the oil and hazardous waste materials to proper treatment facilities where it can be recycled and shipped back for re-use

16. Assistance is Needed to Upgrade or Improve Hazardous Waste Management system (Cont): • Financial and Technical assistance will be needed for treatment of specific hazardous waste, sewage and solid waste in general • Capacity building is a priority for the safe and effective management of waste

17. The End: Thank you