Chemicals and waste management in Solomon Islands is a concern of the Environment and Conservation Division (ECD) within the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM).
The Division’s work in this area is guided by the Environment Act 1998 and the Environment Regulation 2008 and Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA) such as the Waigani Convention and the Stockholm Convention.
In waste management, the ECD often works in close consultation with the Honiara City Council’s Health Division, which is responsible for rubbish collection (solid waste) within the Solomon Islands capital, Honiara and with regional partners such as the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and other donors and NGOs such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Chemical Waste Management
Chemicals are critical to the manufacture of many products and protection of human health, and an important contributor to the GDP and employment. However, without good management practices, chemicals and their hazardous wastes can pose significant risks to human health and the environment especially the poorest members of the global community.
In urban areas, low-income or minority populations are often exposed to hazardous chemicals and associated wastes in their jobs or because they reside in polluted areas.
In rural areas, most chemical exposure and environmental pollution is linked to the misuse of agricultural chemicals and pollution brought by waterways, impacting the natural resources upon which these communities depend.
The sound management of chemicals and wastes is an important to achieving sustainable, inclusive and resilient human development and the United Nations’ post MDG Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).