TL WASTE TRADE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC SO: Greenpeace Pacific Campaign (GP) DT: Spring 1989 Keywords: hazardous waste trade toxics south pacific greenpeace reports gp new zealand philippines fareast / "What all Pacific nations should say to outsiders is: it is your rubbish; you keep it." -The New Zealand Herald September 21, 1988 In the aftermath of huge toxic disasters, such as those at Love Canal in the United States and Seveso in Italy, industrialized countries have adopted increasingly strict and costly regulations for the disposal of solid and hazardous wastes. In attempts to avoid these regulations, many waste generators have been on the lookout for cheap and easy ways to get their wastes off their hands. One increasingly popular method is to ship wastes to developing countries. Such waste trade schemes are either arranged covertly or accompanied by cash payments large enough to entice countries to accept the dangerous cargoes. The international trade in wastes has soared in recent years. Between 1986 and 1988 alone, over 3.1 million tons of wastes were shipped from industrialized to developing countries. With the public eye currently on Africa, where a number of illegal and deadly waste trade schemes were uncovered in the summer of 1988, waste traders have identified a new target where they hope to dump millions of tons of wastes - the South Pacific. Already, waste brokers have offered large payments to a number of South Pacific countries to accept wastes from industrialized countries. Many countries have rejected the proposals, but others continue to consider the lucrative deals. The cash payments for accepting foreign waste are often large enough to tempt South Pacific nations to consider mortgaging their public health and environmental integrity in exchange for much needed currency. Business deals like these force developing nations to make the unfair choice between poison and poverty. American Samoa, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Western Samoa have all received requests to dispose of vast quantities of waste from other countries. Waste trade threatens the public health and environment of the receiving country and contributes nothing to solving the waste disposal problem. All waste disposal facilities, including high temperature incinerators, landfills, and "detoxification plants", will release contaminants into the environment sooner or later. The only real solution to the waste problem must be aimed at the point of production. The people of the Pacific should not be made to suffer the consequences of unhealthy and unsustainable production processes used elsewhere. The Pacific is known for its idyllic natural setting, hardly the appropriate place to export dirty and dangerous U.S. waste handling technologies. Waste Trade Inventory For The South Pacific American Samoa In 1987, American Samoa turned down an offer by LPT Development to build a $50 million incinerator in the country. The incinerator would burn hazardous wastes imported from the United States. Marshall Islands A U.S. firm, Admiralty Pacific, plans to use U.S. garbage as landfill material in the Marshall Islands. Although the Marshallese have not given final approval of Admiralty Pacific's waste export scheme, the company has already entered contracts to begin shipping U.S. garbage to the atolls by June 1990. Dan Fleming, owner of Admiralty Pacific, hopes that the Marshall Island's desire for increased land area and hard cash will outweigh environmental and public health concerns. At the request of the Marshallese President, Fleming recently hired a consultant, the Radian Corporation of California, to perform an environmental assessment of the proposed project. The assessment alone will cost between $2 and 3 million and will not be finished until the end of 1989. If the landfill is approved, the Marshall Islands would earn up to $56 million by the fifth year of operation, according to Fleming. Eventually, Fleming hopes, 10% of the garbage produced by the west coast of the United States will be dumped on the Marshall Islands. Under the proposal, up to 3,500,000 tons of waste would be dumped at the atoll the first year and 25,000,000 tons would be dumped by the fifth year. The company estimates their profits will exceed $27 million during the first year of the deal. Admiralty Pacific suggests that their project, by raising the height of the atoll chain, will protect the islands from the higher sea levels which will result from the greenhouse effect. The firm also suggests that their project will benefit the tiny islands by increasing their overall land mass, thereby increasing the economy's development potential. Papau New Guinea A California-based firm, Global Telesis Corporation, has proposed to construct a disposal facility for U.S. hazardous wastes in Oro province. The plan calls for over 600,000 metric tons of toxic waste to be imported from the west coast of the U. S. each month for "treatment", in the proposed $38 million plant. Oro province premier, Newman Mongagi, supports the plan because it will bring revenue to his government, but church leaders and environmentalists have expressed concern about the environmental threats posed by the wastes. Mongagi's provincial government would receive $45 per metric ton and the national government would receive $15 per metric ton of waste imported. The fees to dispose of toxic waste in the U.S. range from $200 to $2000 per ton. Dr. Chalapan, chemistry professor at the University of PNG stated that, "no government in its right mind would allow toxic wastes to be shipped through international waters and dumped here. Why can't the Americans dump their own waste in their own backyard?" Philippines The Philippines have received a number of offers to import U.S. waste during the last couple of years. They rejected shipments of hazardous wastes to Tito Nemenzo of Cebu City from Environmental Pacific of Oregon State, in 1987. They also were among the many countries to refuse entry to the Felicia, a vessel formerly named the Khian Sea, loaded with U.S. incinerator ash from Philadelphia, U.S. The Felicia travelled to 5 continents during its 27 month voyage in search of a country willing to accept its cargo. The final word is not out yet on a 1988 proposal by a California-based company, Recycled Energy, Inc., to export sewage sludge labelled as solid fuel to the Philippines. The company plans to ship excess sludge "fuel" to the island of Bohol where it would be incinerated in a "Multi-Fuel Generating Plant". Solomon Islands The Ministry of Natural Resources rejected a waste trade proposal by Global Telesis Corporation in May, 1988. The company had hoped to import U.S. hazardous wastes for incineration in the Solomon Islands. Tonga On June 10, 1988, the Cabinet in Tonga recommended against a controversial plan presented by U.S. companies to construct a waste disposal facility in Tonga. The proposal, by Omega Recovery Services of California, offered the Tongan government a U.S.-owned incinerator and the associated jobs and revenue. A landfill for the ash generated by the incinerator would also have been built on the island. The proposal generated heated controversy, partly because the King of Tonga's daughter, Princess Pilolevu, is believed to have owned 40% of the shares of the company which would have owned the license to import wastes. The waste firm behind the project bought full page advertisements in leading papers describing the benefits. Fortunately, Omega failed to convince the government's interdepartmental environment committee and church leaders who voiced concerns about the proposal. Tonga's King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, the Princess, and Omega Director Dennis O'Meara, are still interested in having the incinerator built. Omega earlier attempted to build an incinerator in California but was turned down by the city council of Maricopa, which noted that Omega was frequently delinquent in payment of bills. The city administrator said that Omega is "in no [financial] position to proceed with the proposed project." Western Samoa In 1986, Western Samoa rejected a plan by LFT Development of California to build an incinerator which would burn wastes from the United States. Western Samoa went further and deported two LP-F officials in early 1987 "under suspicion of being involved in a fraudulent lumber deal." "Kingdom of Tetiti" LPT Development, the company behind proposals to send U.S. waste to American and Western Samoa, was itself the target of an outrageous scheme. In May 1987, the company signed a multi- million dollar deal with the "Kingdom of Tetiti" in the South Pacific to accept shipments of hazardous wastes from the U.S. The King, "King Midge," agreed to let LPT build the incinerator on one of his islands. LPT soon discovered that the "Kingdom" was a group of uninhabited islands owned by New Zealand and the "king" was a con man wanted for questioning in connection with fraud and smuggling cases in Singapore and New Zealand. Waste Trade In The South Pacific Company Target Date Status Admiralty Pacific Marshall Islands 1988-89 under discussion Global Telesis Corp. Papua New Guinea 1988 rejected Global Telesis Corp. Solomon Islands 1988 rejected Omega Recovery Serv. Tonga 1988 suspended LPT Development American Samoa 1987 rejected LPT Development Western Samoa 1986 rejected Boeing Entire Pacific Reg. 1980 unclear SE Asian/Pacific Countries Which Ban Waste Imports Indonesia Philippines Solomon Islands Vanuatu Western Samoa A Ban On The International Waste Trade The only solution to the problems inherent with international waste trade is to ban it altogether. Legislation which "controls" the waste trade only allows dumping in developing countries to continue, legitimizes the deadly business, and perpetuates the myth that safe waste disposal methods exist. At least 40 developing countries have already banned the import and export of hazardous and other wastes. Many more countries, both developed and developing, are considering waste trade legislation. In addition, the United Nations Environment Program is in the process of drafting a global convention on international waste trade. In order to protect the global environment and populations of all countries, it is imperative that waste trade legislation be as strict as possible. Work for a ban on waste trade in your country. And urge your environment ministry to support regional and global efforts to ban this dirty business. For more information on waste trade in the Pacific and elsewhere contact the following Greenpeace offices: GREENPEACE Pacific Campaign 1436 U Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20009 (202) 462-1177 Tlx: 89-2359 Fax: (202) 462-4507 Private Bag Wellesley Street Auckland, NZ (64) 9-776128 Tlx: SEEK AK2901 Fax: (09) 32 676