Inventories of mercury releases were conducted in Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, demonstrating a need to improve capacities for the environmentally sound management (ESM) of mercury wastes.
The study found that lighting products containing mercury are not produced in any of the study project countries, but are imported for use in households, government offices, commercial entities and other buildings, and for street and outdoor lighting purposes. Only a small fraction of spent bulbs from large generators are handled by private disposers in Trinidad and Tobago and no private or public disposers capable of handling spent mercury-added bulbs were identified in the other participating countries.
The study recommends developing the strategies and criteria for implementing ESM specific to developing countries and countries with economies in transition. The existing manuals have to be improved by linking with the case studies of existing practices, policies and instruments specific to Small Island Developing States. Public awareness on the risks associated with mercury containing products and environmentally sound procedures for handling these items also needs to be improved.
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