Beverage Container Deposit/refund Schemes (CDS) are increasingly seen as the primary entry point in developing a circular economy. This 100-page Guidebook provides detail on design and implementation of CDS for Pacific Island Countries (PIC) and includes case studies from across the Pacific. The Guidebook was funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as part of the J-PRISM II regional solid waste management technical support programme, to support PIC counterparts with the development of CDS proposals in their countries
A link to the website can be found here: Link
What we did
Alice Leney was the lead author, having designed and implemented CDS as commercially sustainable recycling systems across four Pacific Islands Countries (PICs) over the last two decades, and has conducted feasibility assessments for others. The Guidebook pulled together data from existing CDS, as well as collating the lessons learned on CDS from across the Pacific. The book is in English, as the target audience of government officials and development partners are almost always proficient in English as a second language, and in many PICs English is the language of legislation. Both SPREP and JICA are conduits for distribution, primarily through the network of stakeholders of the Clean Pacific initiative and the bi-annual Clean Pacific Roundtable events.
How we did it
The Guidebook was planned prior to, but written during, the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite this constraint, input from partners across the Pacific was made considerably
easier because of longstanding relationships. The wealth of existing data on Pacific CDS held by Alice, as the recognised regional CDS expert, allowed the project to move ahead as scheduled.
The work required coordination with both Pacific Island counterparts in relevant
ministries and agencies regarding inputs on their own CDS, and a dispersed J-PRISM
team of three authors including the editor spread across the region - including Japan -
working largely from their own home offices. Layout and production was conducted by
the J-PRISM editor, working closely with the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP), who are also a distributor of the final book, both electronically and hardcopy.
Benefit for partners (or the client)
Partners in the Pacific can benefit greatly from this work through a much clearer
understanding of the detailed steps required to design and implement a CDS. A primary aim of the Guidebook is to provide local policymakers with the ability to ensure that any consultants engaged to conduct feasibility studies of CDS designs are producing high quality work that is relevant and applicable to the local context, and provides a clear path to implementation and budgeting.
Container Deposit Schemes for the Pacific Islands: A Guide for Policymakers