Clean Pacific Round Table 2021 - Deep Dive Side Event

This is why effective waste oil management is extremely important to ensure a sustainable and healthy environment. During the side event, the four presentations highlighted that the technical arrangements for waste oil management must be adapted to the local context, in particular the available resources and existing infrastructures.

Projects implemented in French Territories and how they are turning a problem into a solution was highlighted during a Deep Dive Side Event on Used Oil Management held on the first day of the Third Clean Pacific Roundtable, from 16 November until 25 November 2021.

The event was a chance to provide an overview of Used Oil Management challenges in the Pacific, where the French Territories shared their experiences on the existing legislative, technical and financial tools to address this issue.

In a large territory such as New Caledonia, with sufficient waste oil production and appropriate infrastructures, local recovery is possible, provided that the quality of the oil allows it. In this context, the priority is to encourage producers to ensure appropriate collection and storage in order to secure the quality of used oils. 

But in a small, isolated island with a small population, the production of used oils is insufficient to set up sustainable treatment/recovery facilities. In this context, the priority is to implement long-term temporary storage centres that meet environmental and sanitary standards, including equipment to follow-up the impact on the environment (water and subwater quality, air quality). Thus, these centres must be designed to anticipate any spill that could pollute and induce significant costs for decontamination works. The objective is also to ensure that the operation (collection, storage, transfer…) is done in good conditions to avoid degradation of used oil quality. 

But, the experiences of Wallis and Futuna and New Caledonia have shown that whatever the context and the arrangements adopted, the costs of used oil management remain significant since they must cover the expenses of collection, storage, transfer and disposal. To do this, the implementation of national sustainable financing mechanisms is required to cover these costs, either through import taxes or through the implementation of other systems such as the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) principle implemented in New Caledonia.  This mechanism is framed by a text setting out the obligations of producers and the penalties applicable in case of non-compliance. This regulatory system is also framed by a Terms of Reference outlining the collection and recovery objectives, as well as the collection, processing, traceability and financing arrangements. Consequently, each producer and treatment operator must draw up and submit its own Management Plan for approval by the Province, which issues a five-year agreement. An activity report must be filed annually and approved by a Commission. The regulation also allows for administrative and/or penal sanctions in case of infraction (false quantitative declaration, waste dropouts, illegal dumping, etc.). 

In practice, the producers and importers of oils and derived products in New Caledonia are gathered within the non-profit eco-organisation TRECODEC, which implements the obligations attached to the ERP system. To do so, the price of the products includes an eco-participation of 26 XPF/Litter to cover the management costs. Thus, the consumer pays this eco-participation to the distributor who transfers it to TRECODEC. TRECODEC will then finance the equipment and devices for collection and processing.
 

The event was a chance to provide an overview of Used Oil Management challenges in the Pacific, where the French Territories shared their experiences on the existing legislative, technical and financial tools to address this issue.

The session, delivered in French to highlight the diversity of lessons-learned from all Pacific islands, was moderated by Ms Julie Pillet, Technical Coordinator of the AFD-funded SWAP project, and it featured Ms Ateliana Maugateau, Director of the Territorial Environment Department of Wallis and Futuna, Ms Sandra Sontheimer, Prevention and Waste Management Engineer - Environment Department of the Southern Province - New Caledonia, Mr Bernard Creugnet, Director of the eco-organisation TRECODEC and Mr Thomas Klein, Managing Director of the Company SOCADIS SARL.