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The large number of End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) is a daunting challenge for the Kingdom of Tonga. Statistics show that over the years, more than 30,000 ELVs have accumulated on the main island of Tongatapu, and with more and more cars being imported every year, this number is increasing rapidly, causing impacts on the environment.
“If we don’t properly dispose of these vehicles, there will be dire consequences for our environment and future generations,” lamented Mr. Saimone Vuki. “We cannot ignore this.”
The good news is that the Kingdom of Tonga has taken proactive steps to reduce this problem, through the efforts of Mr. Vuki of the Tonga Recycling Association (TRA) and his partners. “End-of-life vehicles contain hazardous components such as lead batteries, refrigerant gases, mercury and machinery oils,” said Mr. Vuki. “They also contain persistent organic pollutants and other brominated flame retardants, which are found in textiles and foams used in seat covers and interior leatherette, and are also added to rigid plastics, electronic parts, cable casings, shrink plastics, tapes and other vehicle components.”
Mr Vuki was speaking on the second day of the 4th Clean Pacific Roundtable (4CPRT) in Tuvalu, which brought together more than 200 delegates to advance the goal of a clean Pacific. He was one of the speakers in the parallel session on “Resilient Waste, Sustainable Futures”, speaking on the role of the private sector in ELV management.
“Scrapped vehicles can cause soil and groundwater contamination if hazardous parts are not properly removed and disposed of. In the case of open burning, unintentional persistent organic pollutants, dioxins and furans are also emitted into the atmosphere,” he said.
In 2020, with this in mind, Mr Vuki became so concerned about the lack of an officially designated car waste site in the country that he began actively collecting scrap cars from around the island and transporting them to his own eight-acre property, where thousands of cars are now stored. “This situation has really changed my life and I want to make a difference and ensure that we take action to protect our environment and our future generations.”
Mr Vuki also founded the Tonga Recycling Association, an association of individuals and private companies committed to reducing, reusing and recycling waste in Tonga. “Our mission is to try and remove scrap cars from homes and bring them to one place,” Mr Vuki said. So far, Mr Vuki’s scrap car yard has at least 5,000 abandoned cars.
But there is still much work to be done and at 4CPRT, Mr Vuki advocated for collaboration and more support from potential partners and governments to ensure the mission continues.
He noted that the private sector needs recognition, assistance, expertise and technology and encouraged public-private donor partnerships to continue this work. He also acknowledged the close collaboration with the Tonga Ministry of Environment.
Joshua Sam, hazardous waste management adviser at the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, said the challenges faced by the Kingdom of Tonga in dealing with end-of-life vehicles are fairly common across the Pacific region.
At CPRT, the idea is to explore different approaches to ELV management from the perspective of different economic and geographical contexts, highlighting innovative practices, challenges and feasible strategies suitable for Pacific countries.
Pacific nations will also advocate at the international level for the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility in the automotive industry to ensure that vehicle manufacturers have a duty to assist with end-of-life vehicle management in the region to address the unique circumstances of the Pacific.
Source: South Pacific Environment Programme
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