Africa-Press – Mauritius. A five-day training workshop on US Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency (HAZWOPER) Standards, kicked off this morning, at the Maritim Resort & Spa, Balaclava, in presence of the Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Mr Kavydass Ramano, the International Services Director, hazardous waste management and chemical engineer at Polyeco SA Greece, Mr Ilias Avramikos, and several other personalities.
Around 100 stakeholders from the public and private sector are attending the workshop during which they will be introduced to the concept of hazardous waste management; HAZWOPER standards; regulations and safety principles; chemical protective; packaging in accordance to International Maritime Dangerous Goods; and hazardous waste export in compliance to Basel Convention.
In his address, Minister Ramano highlighted that hazardous waste has significant adverse effects on public health and on the environment due to its inherent chemical as well as physical characteristics.
“Knowledge of these characteristics and the risks associated with hazardous waste is of paramount importance if we want to ensure its proper management, hence the relevance of the training”, he said.
Speaking on illegal dumping and haphazard stockpiling of chemical wastes, he indicated that the setting up of an Interim Storage Facility for hazardous wastes since April 2017 at La Chaumière, Bambous has helped to clear back logs of stored hazardous wastes.
The facility currently operated by Polyeco S. A, he added, has been designed to prevent leakage of hazardous wastes and is equipped with a modern laboratory and a fire-fighting system.
It has also contributed to the handling and storage of some 2,700 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and contaminated wastes resulting from the MV Wakashio oil spill, he underlined.
Minister Ramano observed that as at to-date, more than 600 tonnes of hazardous chemical wastes have been collected from around 250 different generators across the island including secondary schools, research and commercial laboratories, industries, and healthcare facilities.
The collected hazardous wastes are analysed, stored and shipped to licensed recovery and disposal facilities in Europe, stated the Minister. Furthermore, he underlined that the Solid Waste Management Division is reviewing the existing regulations to ensure compliance to its obligations under the Basel and Bamako Conventions.
The amended regulations, he highlighted, will provide for specific and more comprehensive obligations for hazardous waste generators, and hazardous waste management facilities to ensure safety.
In addition, he pointed out the Ministry will soon come up with a campaign for the collection of household hazardous wastes such as paints and solvents, obsolete pesticides, aerosols, motor oils, poisons, and pharmaceutical products amongst others.
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