The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has recommended that Infrastructure Cook Islands (ICI) secure funding for waste management initiatives, in particular the incinerator project.

This was revealed in the PAC’s 2nd Annual Review 2022-23 and Other Reviews that was tabled in Parliament late last month. PAC provided the recommendations after reviewing ICI’s financial report of 2022-23.

PAC noted that waste management systems remained under strain, primarily due to the increasing waste volume caused by population growth and tourism, while the budget for waste management remains inadequate.

Secretary for ICI Elizabeth Wright-Koteka says they had initially hoped to have a technology solution for non-recyclables waste funded under the Infrastructure Trust Fund (ITF) and had estimated about $8 million for this project based on responses from an Expression of Interest undertaken in 2022. 

“We started to develop the project to submit through the Government’s Tarai Vaka Process.  However, this was paused noting that there were other priorities to which ITF support was being prioritised. 

“We had initial discussions about the possibility of funding through ADB during the ADB Board visit to Rarotonga in March this year and this is something that we will want to continue to dialogue on with potential partners, including the ADB.  We actually have this project as a target in the coming financial year,” she added.

In Parliament last month, Member of Parliament Tim Varu raised concerns on the recycling and waste management situation in Ruaau.

Varu said his question pertained to the incinerator- a machine designed to process waste and help reduce the amount of waste on the island.

“I am concerned about the waste issue as it directly affects my constituency.”

Prime Minister Mark Brown said there has been extensive discussion on this matter.

“We have examined incinerators from various countries, but were informed that the models we reviewed were not suitable for our needs. Although funding was initially set aside for this purpose, it has since been directed toward other projects.”

Brown said, it has however become increasingly important to address the island’s waste management challenges, especially as the visitor population grows and the import of goods, and consequently the waste generated, continues to rise.

“This is a significant concern for me. Recently, we established the Destination Stewardship Council under the Tourism Corporation. The council's role is to assess the wider impacts of tourism in our country, identifying areas that need attention, such as food security, health and safety, and notably, waste management, an issue raised by the Member.

“One of the outcomes of our graduation is that concessional financing available to us has been reduced; however, we are actively working on strengthening our relationships with development partners.”

Brown said that waste management fell under the umbrella of climate issues, particularly in relation to carbon emissions.

“There is funding we may be able to access for the reduction of our carbon emissions, as we require an incinerator that does not merely burn rubbish and release harmful toxins into the atmosphere. We need an incinerator that effectively incinerates waste while capturing pollutants, only releasing water vapor and carbon dioxide.”
He said that these incinerators are not inexpensive.

“The last quote we received for a suitable incinerator to tackle our waste management issues was over $30 million. While we do not yet have anything confirmed, I can assure the Honourable Member that acquiring an incinerator is definitely part of our plans.

“We will prioritise obtaining a solution that reduces waste while ensuring environmental safety.”

PM Brown added that the government is fully aware of the increasing pressure on the island’s waste management site due to the growing volume of waste being deposited there.

“If we do not take action soon, we risk running out of space for waste containment.”

The PAC report also raised the delays in legislative approval for the Solid and Hazardous Waste Bill, which is hindering regulatory improvements.

In December last year, the Solid and Hazardous Waste Bill 2024 was referred to the Bills, Petitions and Papers Committee.

The Solid and Hazardous Waste Bill 2024 was to merge existing legislation under the Environment Act and Public Health Act and include a schedule of banned plastic items including plastic straws, polystyrene containers, single serve butter and spreads as well as products containing microbeads. And it was earlier reported that the Bill would also introduce an advanced disposable recovery fee known as the ARDF (advance recovery and disposal fee scheme) along with directing how different waste streams shall be handled at end of life.