Samoa facing a surging plastic tide, warns UN expert

APIA  – Samoa, like other Small Pacific Island States, is facing a surging plastic tide, a UN expert said today, warning that while the country was taking measures to ban some plastics, including plastic bags, plastic straws and Styrofoam, it cannot keep up with growing amounts of plastic waste.

“At the receiving end of cheap plastic imports, pesticides that are banned in other countries, and used cars and tires, Samoa does not have financial, technical and human resources to deal adequately with and process all the waste that is being generated,” said Marcos Orellana, UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights in a statement issued at the end of an official visit to the Independent State of Samoa.

The expert said that while the Pacific region fights as much as it can against plastic pollution, States where plastic producers are based were not doing enough.

The expert said that internationally, negotiations on a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution were taking the wrong turn. “Unfortunately, the non-paper 3 of the Chair of the Committee mandated to produce a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, which was circulated ahead of its last scheduled meeting, risks shifting responsibility from plastic producing States to developing States that lack capacity or resources to confront the global plastic scourge,” Orellana said. “From what I could see during this visit, this shift will end being catastrophic for a number of countries, especially small island states like Samoa.”

He commended Samoa for its leadership in environmental issues, including its stance against deep sea mining, noting the importance of international and regional cooperation to meet the challenges of the triple planetary crisis: toxic pollution, climate change and the loss of biodiversity.

“All people have the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. As human rights and the environment are interdependent, a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is necessary for the full enjoyment of a wide range of human rights. At the same time, the enjoyment of all human rights, including the rights to information, participation and access to justice, is critical to the protection of the environment,” the expert said.

He also recommended that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment be guaranteed under the Constitution of Samoa.

Orellana noted many promising practices, such as the Moana Taka scheme (a public-private partnership for transporting recyclable waste to countries with proper waste processing facilities). He also noted promising product stewardship plans, including a levy on beverage containers to incentivise collection and proper waste management.

“The convenience of using pesticides in a country that is highly dependent on agriculture is understandable, but Samoa needs a plan to shift from highly dangerous pesticides to less dangerous ones and return to regenerative agricultural practices which are better for the people and the environment,” Orellana said.

He called for an immediate ban on paraquat and glyphosate, which are widely used in Samoa, including in houses across villages. He criticised double standards of producer countries banning paraquat in their own countries but allowing its production for export to others. “It seems that for these countries, life and health of people in recipient countries is not as important as their own citizens,” he said. At times, Paraquat has also been used for suicide in Samoa where mental health is a concern, including among youth.

Orellana highlighted the problematic issue of importing secondhand cars and tires in a country that has no way of processing that type of waste.

“The Tafaigata landfill in Upolu is reaching maximum capacity. Plastics, electronic waste, waste oil and used cars are piling up. What legacy will be left for future generations of Samoa?” the expert said. “Bringing in electrical vehicles may reduce gas emissions, but what will happen to their hazardous lithium batteries?”

Addressing hazardous waste, plastics, pesticides and other toxic products in an environmentally sound manner requires awareness within communities about how exposure to toxic waste and chemicals impact health and the environment. This requires access to information and a shift in people’s behaviour, for which sustained and effective public campaigns and education starting in primary schools are paramount, the expert said.

Orellana will present a report on his visit to the Human Rights Council in September 2025.