PROJECT IDENTIFICATION FORM (PIF) PROJECT TYPE: Full-sized Project THE GEF TRUST FUND S Submission Date: 25 September 2005 Re-submission Date: 15 Oct 07/21 Jan 08 PART I: PROJECT IDENTIFICATION 11 February 2008 1 GEFSEC PROJECT ID : 2926 GEF AGENCY PROJECT ID: GF/CPR/08/XXX COUNTRY(IES): Global (People's Republic of China) PROJECT TITLE: Environmentally sound management and disposal of obsolete POPs pesticides and other POPs wastes in China GEF AGENCY(IES): United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) OTHER EXECUTING PARTNERS: SEPA/FECO-China GEF FOCAL AREAS: Persistent Organic Pollutants GEF-4 STRATEGIC PROGRAM(S): POPs SP1, SP2, SP3 INDICATIVE CALENDAR Expected Dates Milestones Work Program (for FSP) CEO Endorsement/Approval GEF Agency Approval Implementation Start Mid-term Review Implementation Completion April 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2011 February 2013 A. PROJECT FRAMEWORK (Expand table as necessary) Project Objective: Environmentally sound management (ESM) and disposal of obsolete stockpile pesticides and other POPs related wastes in fulfillment of China’s commitment to the national implementation of the Stockholm Convention (SC) and the National Strategy for Hazardous Waste. The presence of geographically dispersed historic stockpiles of POPs wastes such as pesticides and dioxins rich incinerator fly-ash presents a significant source and ongoing pathway risk to environmental receptors especially groundwater and surface water resources. The scale of the risk and its global consequences, including wide geographic dispersion, makes it a uniquely Chinese issue with such transboundary impact. The scope of this project incorporates the management and disposal of pesticides stockpiles and POPs wastes, qualitative environmental risk assessment of the various sites, and management and disposal of dioxins rich incineration fly ash. Project Components 1 Investment, TA, or STA** 1. Formulation of regulations and policies consistent with relevant requirements of Stockholm Convention for lifecycle management of POPs wastes TA 2. Strengthening of institutional structures at national and local levels for life-cycle management including site inspection, QERA, handling, collection, packaging, labeling, transportation, and disposal TA Expected Outcomes Expected Outputs Strengthened legal and regulatory framework for ESM and disposal of POPs wastes 1.1 Regulations enacted requiring ESM and disposal of POPs wastes Improved institutional capacity at all levels of POPs waste disposal management 2.1 Communication and coordination system between the project organizer and the national competent authorities responsible for POPs and HW disposal. Indicative GEF Financing* ($) Indicative Cofinancing* % ($) Total ($) % 850,000 30 2,000,000 70 2,850,000 800,000 32 1,700,000 68 2,500,000 1.2 Market based economic policies promoting ESM and disposal of POPs wastes 1.3 Technical standards and guidelines including qualitative environmental risk assessment (QERA) methodology to be employed 2.2 Institutional capacity enhanced for collecting and analyzing POPs waste inventory data, developing strategy, and evaluating and selecting disposal technologies. Project ID number will be assigned initially by GEFSEC. 1 UNIDO PIF China POPs pesticidas & other wastes 20Feb08revised 2.3 Institutional capacity enhanced for environmental impact assessment for disposal facilities, licensing for operational permit management, and operation monitoring procedures of disposal facilities. 3. Qualitative environmental risk assessment tool to enable prioritization of sites at specific risks and for better management of these in future actions. TA 4. Implementation of pre-disposal activities including qualitative environmental risk assessment, clearance of stockpiled pesticide waste, packaging, transportation, storage at the disposal sites. TA 5. Waste disposal operations implemented using fixed or mobile treatment technologies TA The component will also qualitatively assess and prioritize the residual environment al risks remaining on the sites. 3.1 A prioritized inventory of potentially contaminated sites The central outcome will be the removal for disposal of 10,000 tons of POPs stockpiled pesticides as source contaminants for the vulnerable local ecosystem receptors. 4.1 Safe and effective handling, packaging, transportation of obsolete POPs pesticides for disposal. Once off destruction of 10,000 tons stockpiled POPs pesticides and disposal of a continuous waste stream of 11,000 tons dioxins rich incineration fly ash 5.1 Analysis and evaluation of adaptability of technically feasible and commercially proven technologies for POPs waste destruction and decontamination 600,000 30 1,400,000 70 2,000,000 3.2 The information to provide a basis for a program of quantitative environmental risk assessments of the prioritized sites, which will ultimately lead to the detailed planning and remediation of these sites in the future 3,359,000 26 9,550,000 74 12,909,000 3,750,000 20 15,000,000 80 18,750,000 100,000 9 1,000,000 91 1,100,000 4.2 Methodologies, procedures and protocols established and implemented for dioxins rich incineration fly ash collection, packaging, transportation, and storage in selected provinces between waste generators and destruction facility operators 4.3 Measures taken for the public awareness raising and participation including involvement in stockpile reporting, emergency response, and health and safety protection 5.2 Promotion of technology transfer and investment by identification and implementation of innovative mechanisms for PPPs 5.3 Construction, certification, operation, and supervision of fixed or mobile treatment facilities 5.4 Exploration of the feasibility to extend the POPs waste disposal capacity for CFCs destruction 6. Development of national and local programs and/or projects to further address POPs wastes beyond the scope of TA The national or local programs or projects for clean-up of POPs waste 6.1 Mainstreaming the Stockholm Convention requirements into the national survey on soil pollution 2 UNIDO PIF China POPs pesticidas & other wastes 20Feb08revised the project and the related remediation. 6.2 Development of programs and/or projects for POPs, clean-up of POPs wastes and the related remediation. 6.3 A series of technical and fund-raising workshops carried out for participants from home and abroad. 7. Project management Established project management office, stakeholder partnerships, and relevant meetings 500,000 Total project costs 9,959,000 42 24 700,000 31,350,000 58 76 1,200,000 41,309,000 B. INDICATIVE FINANCING PLAN SUMMARY FOR THE PROJECT ($) Project Preparation GEF Grant Co-financing Total Project 350,000 120,000 470,000 Agency Fee 9,959,000 31,350,000 41,309,000 Total 995,900 11,304,900 31,470,000 42,774,900 995,900 C. INDICATIVE CO-FINANCING FOR THE PROJECT BY SOURCE ($), IF AVAILABLE Co-financing Source Project Government Contribution GEF Agency (ies) Bilateral Aid Agency (ies) Multilateral Agency (ies) Private Sector NGO Others Total co-financing Cash In-kind Total 4,000,000 50,000 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A N.A. 4,050,000 1,250,000 300,000 N.A N.A. 25,870,000 N.A. N.A. 27,420,000 5,250,000 350,000 N.A N.A. 25,870,000 N.A. N.A. 31,470,000 PART II: PROJECT JUSTIFICATION A. STATE THE ISSUE, HOW THE PROJECT SEEKS TO SOLVE IT, AND THE EXPECTED GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS TO BE DELIVERED: 1. The risks from the storage of obsolete pesticide products containing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a major problem in China. For decades obsolete and unwanted POPs pesticide stockpiles have been building and accumulating. The total quantity of stockpiled POPs pesticide POPs in China is in the order of 10,000 tons with DDT being 6,000 tons and HCB, chlordane and mirex making the balance. 2. Based on the information of NIP, the POPs pesticide wastes are sparsely distributed in 44 POPs pesticide manufacturing plants and numerous distribution and end user sites. 3. The obsolete POPs pesticides are currently in dangerous storage conditions such as outdoor storage and simple enclosure, leaking from rusted containers, contaminating ground water and soils and poisoning human health and the environment. Sample photographs are presented in Appendix III. The absence of adequate capacity and infrastructure for the ESM and disposal of the above POPs wastes in China poses significant risks and consequences to human health and the environment. Current practices dominated by incineration without consideration of the SC requirements under the national hazardous waste program for POPs waste disposal are likely to generate secondary pollution such as dioxin and furan formation and release. 4. In addition, it is estimated that fly ash containing a high level of dioxin from incineration of hazardous wastes and medical waste amounts to 11,000 tons per annum. According to the current regulations, these solid wastes should be disposed to landfill following stabilization, or irreversibly destructed and transformed into environmentally harmless substances. Limited by site, technology and concept, solid waste incineration plants commonly adopt storage or simple landfill disposal of hazardous thereby increasing the potential POPs pollution risk to water resources. 5. The project concept is illustrated in Appendix I: Project logic. The project will facilitate the risk assessment of these stockpiles in their environmental context and systematically manage integrated predisposal activities and processes such as waste characterization, collection, packaging, labeling, storage and waste transportation. The ultimate generic disposal options are illustrated in Table 1 and Table 2 in Appendix I where the relative environmental risks, feasibility and costs of each option are weighted. Within each generic disposal option there are many individual technologies. For example more than 30 technologies can be identified as non combustion 3 UNIDO PIF China POPs pesticidas & other wastes 20Feb08revised by USEPA and UNEP. However the commercially available ones suitable for transformation and irreversible destruction of the POPs waste matrices mentioned above, needs to be closely verified. 6. The project will strengthen the overall management and disposal of POPs containing products and wastes in an environmentally sound manner and eliminate the risk of POPs to human health and the environment in China and globally. Methodologies for POPs waste site risk assessment, handling, clearance, collection, labeling, packaging, transportation, disposal, and emergency response procedures will be developed according to strict internationally accepted technical standards and guidelines including those developed by COP to the Basel Convention. The emphasis will be put on the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of the proposed measures. 7. The expected global environmental benefits to be delivered include the complete irreversible destruction and transformation of thousands tons of obsolete POPs pesticides and dioxin rich fly ash from waste incinerators in an environmentally sound and costeffective manner. B. DESCRIBE THE CONSISTENCY OF THE PROJECT WITH NATIONAL PRIORITIES/PLANS (Is the proposal consistent with country priorities? How does it build on ongoing programs, policies and political commitments?) 8. 9. The National Program of Disposal Facilities Construction for Hazardous Wastes and Medical Wastes Treatment was approved in 2004. It is a pure engineering construction program in which 31 hazardous waste treatment and disposal centers will be constructed to dispose of hazardous waste by incinerators. The project will interact with and influence the Program by: Introducing life cycle management into current hazardous waste management systems, including qualitative site environmental risk assessment, waste characterization, and pre-disposal treatment involving handling, collection, packaging, labeling, transportation, and storage of stockpiled POPs pesticides; Mainstreaming relevant Stockholm Convention requirements for ESM of POPs stockpiles and wastes into current legal and institutional management structure; and Expanding technology selection for destruction of stockpiled obsolete POPs pesticide waste thereby generating global environmental benefits. China National Implementation Plan requires the development of comprehensive strategies, including characterization, management, and disposal of wastes consisting of, containing, or contaminated by POPs, and requires the demonstration of cost-effective and environmentally sound technologies, including but not exclusively incineration and non-combustion options, as well as capacity building for their commercial application. Environmentally sound management of POPs wastes is also one of the important elements set in the National 11th Five-Year Plan on Economic and Social Development of China. According to the NIP, China shall: Establish a preliminary system for the environmentally sound management of POPs stockpiles and wastes by 2010; Complete the environmentally sound management and disposal of 30% of pesticide POPs wastes identified nationwide by 2010; Begin to achieve the environmentally sound management and disposal of pesticide POPs wastes across the country by 2015; Fulfill the environmentally sound management and disposal of identified Dioxin wastes released by key industries by 2015; and Update the lists of POPs wastes and POPs contaminated sites, and gradually eliminate contamination caused by them as the long-term objective. 10. The proposed project will play a vital role in supporting China for fulfilling the objectives. C. DESCRIBE THE CONSISTENCY OF THE PROJECT WITH GEF STRATEGIES AND FIT WITH STRATEGIC PROGRAMS: 11. The project is consistent with Strategic Program 1, 2 and 3 of persistent organic pollutants focal area strategy and strategic programming for GEF-4 respectively: D. Strengthening Capacities for NIP Implementation, with the objective to strengthen and/or build the capacity required in eligible countries to implement their Stockholm Convention NIPs in a sustainable, effective and comprehensive manner, while building upon and contributing to strengthening a country’s foundational capacities for sound management of chemicals more generally. Partnering in investments needed for NIP implementation to achieve impacts in the reduction of POPs production, use and releases, and reduce the stress on human health and the environment caused by POPs, including through promoting the use of substitute products or alternative practices that prevent or reduce the generation and/or release of POPs. Meeting the future challenges that lay ahead in the implementation of the Stockholm Convention, the GEF will support projects that demonstrate and promote the replication of environmentally sound, alternative products to POPs, or the substitution of materials and processes to prevent POPs formation. OUTLINE THE COORDINATION WITH OTHER RELATED INITIATIVES (Coordination with other GEF agencies, organizations, and stakeholders involved in related initiatives; if similar projects exist in the same country/region, including GEF projects, report on synergies/complementarities with this proposal and demonstrate that there is no duplication). 4 UNIDO PIF China POPs pesticidas & other wastes 20Feb08revised 12. The project will ensure close cooperation and coordination with the GEF projects on phase out and substitution of POPs pesticides and medical waste incineration to enhance the sustainability relevant to POPs waste disposal. The project will monitor the progress of the non-combustion projects in Slovakia and the Philippines and will incorporate results as appropriate when available. The project will also seek to achieve synergies with the on-going efforts under Montreal Protocol implementation framework. The project will explore the possibility of CFCs disposal using the experience and facilities generated by this project. E. DESCRIBE THE INCREMENTAL REASONING OF THE PROJECT (What would happen without GEF support and what would be the expected change in global environmental benefits): 13. Without GEF support a large country like China would not be able to access the sustainable approaches for environmentally sound management and disposal of the large amounts of POPs stockpiles and other hazardous wastes and will continue to adopt unsustainable POPs waste management, treatment and disposal practices with possible negative impact on the global environment. With GEF support and technical assistance of UNIDO, China will be able to fully access new and innovative destruction technologies and therefore comply with disposal requirements set by the Stockholm Convention. The GEF support will maximize opportunities for private sector to venture capital, through joint venture with Chinese companies, into solving POPs priority problems with a global dimension and large socio-economic scope. The scale and complexity of this project will require a multi-faceted response and draw on the combined resources of the public and private sectors. While the project is centralized and deployed at provincial level, there are opportunities for participation at the operational level by private organizations in co-operation with public bodies, as appropriate, with relevant competences. The range of complexities required spans a spectrum encompassing nationwide environmental risk assessment, waste characterization, handling, collection, specialist packaging, labeling, storage, sampling, laboratory analysis, not to mention policy, regulations, and disposal technologies involved, which far exceeds the baseline scenario. F. INDICATE RISKS, INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE RISKS, THAT MIGHT PREVENT THE PROJECT OBJECTIVE(S) FROM BEING ACHIEVED. OUTLINE THE RISK MANAGEMENT MEASURES, INCLUDING IMPROVING RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, THAT THE PROJECT PROPOSES TO UNDERTAKE: 14. The project is based on the provisional figure of 6,000 tons of POPs pesticide stockpiled waste as indicated in China’s NIP. This estimation is conditional and anecdotal evidence would suggest that this is underestimated. A recent survey in Chongqing Municipality shows the determined amount of obsolete POPs pesticides to be 3-4 times higher than the initial estimation. 15. The chain of custody including the identity of the original waste holders and waste generators has in many cases been lost. This gap presents difficulties in the application of legal and market measures. Therefore, the project steps into this breach to resolve this challenge. 16. The location of many of the stockpile sites are on floodplains which may be at an increased risk of flooding due to climate change. The risk of floodwaters impacting on uncontained POPs pesticide wastes is therefore increased. Through the qualitative risk assessment activities, these sites will be prioritized for the remediation and removal at future time. G. DESCRIBE, IF POSSIBLE, THE EXPECTED COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROJECT (e.g. $/ton of CO2 abated). IF COST-EFFECTIVENESS IS NOT PRESENTED, OUTLINE THE STEPS THAT PROJECT PREPARATION WOULD UNDERTAKE TO PRESENT COST-EFFECTIVENESS AT CEO ENDORSEMENT: 17. The environmentally sound management of the targeted POPs pesticide wastes in dispersed locations involves necessary costs for predisposal activities including the risk assessment and characterization, handling, collection packaging, storage and transportation. These predisposal costs are common to all the generic disposal options. 18. Table 1 identifies and evaluates the risks associated with a number of disposal scenarios. The environmentally safest solution is identified as non-combustion technology. Table 2 illustrates the technical feasibility and costs effectiveness of the disposal scenarios. Based on these preliminary assessments, the most feasible and cost effective option is also non-combustion based alternative scenario. 19. Closer examination of the 5 options demonstrates the following: The evolving serious situation in relation to stockpiled POPs pesticide waste is such that the baseline scenario is not tenable and requires immediate action. The temporary engineering containment solution does not destroy or dislocate the molecular structure of the chemicals and relies on the structural integrity of the physical barrier that isolates it from the environmental receptors at risk. The potential failure of the structural integrity could lead to catastrophic consequences. This temporary storage option requires indefinite ongoing management and maintenance of the facility, which requires significant resources and cost. It also presupposes the availability of land for this purpose, which can not be assumed in the case of China. The only incineration facility that will meet the Convention operating standards is located in northeast China, and is dedicated to PCB disposal at the unit cost of 2,000 Euros per ton. This facility is not yet commissioned, and when operational, the demand on this facility will be beyond its capacity, and in practice will not be available for this project. No other incineration facility currently in operation in China meets the Convention’s standards for the disposal of POPs waste. The two remaining options are export for treatment abroad and non-combustion technology treatment. The preparatory and pre-treatment cost elements can be generally identified as follows: 5 UNIDO PIF China POPs pesticidas & other wastes 20Feb08revised Site qualitative environmental risk assessment, waste characterization, handling, collection, packaging, labeling, storage, transportation including shipment; In the case of export for treatment abroad, some of these cost elements are dramatically increased because of the requirements of the logistics management including assembling of the waste in an embarkment port and meeting the requirements of international waste trans-shipment regulations. Compared with the logistics of locally managed disposal, which will be the case for the non-combustion based alternative scenario, the cost differentiation is significant. The disposal cost for treatment abroad is approximately 1,500 Euros. While this figure appears competitive with the PCB disposal unit cost, it disguises the whole cost for life-cycle elements involved, particularly the inefficiencies of the logistics demand. The non-combustion based alternative scenario provides the opportunity to address the situation in a local context. The project relies on the risk assessment process which quantifies environmental risks, technical feasibility and economic cost. These locally based approaches allow for the optimization of local enterprises roles in partnerships with technology providers and hence optimize the available financial resources. This combination inevitably leads to cost competitiveness. Preliminary studies have already identified more than 30 proven and viable non-combustion technologies that could be suitable for the disposal of wastes concerned. The PPG will further evaluate these technologies, including technical feasibilities and operational costs. 20. The table below compares data from 3 management and disposal options that are within the Convention’s operating standards. Options such as hazardous waste landfill disposal and cement kiln co-disposal are not considered because they fall outside these standards. The options considered are as follows: Environmentally sound management and disposal of obsolete POPs pesticides and other POPs wastes in China (This project) This project will cover costs for pre-disposal activities and disposal of 10,000 tons of stockpiled pesticides as well as for the destruction of 11,000 tons of dioxin rich fly ash. The predisposal cost is almost a fixed one based on the currently available cost information. The disposal cost is shown quite cost effective for GEF fund as China’s co-finance is three times higher than the GEF. It should be noted that the calculation does not consider the dioxin rich fly ash scenario as related information is not available. If this is considered, it is certain that the related costs would be lower. Pesticide disposal in EU It is technically feasible and acceptable to dispose of stockpiled pesticides in hazardous waste incinerators within the EU that meet the Convention’s standards. However, relying on this option, it will prevent the development of China’s own capability to dispose of stockpiled pesticides and other POPs wastes in an environmentally sustainable manner. The calculation of cost in the table below includes the figure of €1500 which is the gate fee for disposal. In addition, the assembly and in-country transport costs of the waste and other pre-disposal activities including packaging to international standards, shipment cost, and compliance with trans-frontier with shipment regulations impose significant costs. An analogue comparison would be the in-country unit transport cost to the dedicated PCB disposal incinerator in northeast China. Based on this analogue, the unit cost is calculated at least at €2289 per ton. The total unit cost for in-country predisposal activities and export to EU and disposal is therefore in the order of €4000. In an academic paper published on July 21, 2006 in Environmental Science and Policy Journal entitled “Environmentally sound destruction of obsolete pesticides in developing countries using cement kilns”, the cost of exportation from African countries and treatment in Europe is discussed. Pesticide disposal in northeast China As discussed in the PIF text, a dedicated PCB disposal incinerator is under construction to meet the Convention’s standards and will be commissioned in 2009. Although this option is not available to this project, the hypothetical comparison is made for cost analysis purposes. The in-country long-distance unit transport cost (exclusive of other predisposal cost), derived from empirical data is €2000, while the unit disposal cost is a further €2000, giving a total of €4000. The figures in the table are qualified as reasonable estimates and primarily presented for illustrative purposes. It is fully acknowledged that further detailed cost comparisons will be required as an integral part of the PPG. Table of Unit cost comparison table for environmentally sound management and disposal options in compliance with Convention’s requirements Unit cost (€) Cost sharing (€) Option Predisposal activities Disposal GEF China This project 2000 128 532 1596 Pesticide disposal in EU 2289 1500-2000 3789-4000 Pesticide disposal in northeast China 2000* 2000 4000 * Long-distance transport cost only, no other activity cost data available Total (€) 2128 3789-4000 4000 6 UNIDO PIF China POPs pesticidas & other wastes 20Feb08revised H. JUSTIFY THE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE OF GEF AGENCY: The project is focusing on technological solutions to environment and health problems within Operational Program 14, where UNIDO has clear comparative advantages. UNIDO is mandated to support developing countries and countries with economy in transition to achieve sustainable industrial development. UNIDO has also developed and implemented a large number of GEF funded NIPs and post-NIP projects and contributed to the efforts made in sound management of chemicals. This project will integrate both aspects of technology transfer and investment, which are clearly falling in the comparative advantage domain of UNIDO. 7 UNIDO PIF China POPs pesticidas & other wastes 20Feb08revised Appendix I: Tables Table 1. Risk assessment matrix Generic management options Handling Collection Packaging Labeling Storage Transportation Disposal NA M NA M NA M Overall risk rating H M M M M M M H L M-H M M L-M L-M Baseline scenario NA NA NA NA Temporary engineering containment H H M L Incineration as recommended by H H M L National HW Program Export for treatment abroad H H M L Non-combustion based alternative H H M L scenario Legend: Risk level symbol H = High, M = Moderate, L = Low, NA = Not Applicable. Table 2. Conceptual illustration/Feasibility assessment matrix Generic management options Convention requirement National policy and institutional support Infrastructure Baseline 1 1 1 scenario Temporary engineering 1 2 2 containment and landfill Incineration as recommended 3 4 3 by National HW Program Export for treatment 4 1 3 abroad Noncombustion based 5 3 2 alternative scenario Legend: 1 = Least feasibility, 5 = Highest feasibility. Stakeholder transaction cost Predisposal cost Disposal cost Application potential through innovation, R&D, and joint ventures Global environmental benefit Overall feasibility and cost 3 1 1 1 1 10 3 2 2 2 2 16 4 4 4 5 2 29 1 2 1 1 4 17 3 4 4 5 5 31 8 UNIDO PIF China POPs non-com 21 Jan 2008 revised