The Africa Stockpiles Programme (ASP) is a 15 year, $250 million project to help African countries rid themselves of more than 500,000 tonnes of obsolete pesticides. The new guidelines provide advice to national decision makers on how to select the most appropriate disposal technology options for their country. The guidelines were prepared for WWF by an international team led by Patrick Dyke; Professor David C Wilson provided technical review within the team.
The ASP is a multi-stakeholder initiative, proposed in 2000 by WWF and the Pesticide Action Network (PAN), and responding to a request by African countries for assistance to deal with the accumulation of obsolete pesticide stockpiles across the continent. These decaying stockpiles include DDT, dieldrin and other Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) now subject to the Stockholm Convention, and pose serious threats to the health of both rural and urban populations, especially the poorest of the poor, and contribute to land and water degradation. The ASP is funded by the Global Environment Fund and other donors; the implementation committee comprises the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Crop Life International (representing the global pesticide industry) as well as the two original NGOs WWF and PAN. The Disposal Technology Options Study (DTO) was initiated to review developments in available treatment and disposal techniques for ASP wastes. The report provides information to help countries make informed decisions about the options for treatment and disposal of their obsolete pesticide stocks and associated wastes to ensure that they are treated and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner, protecting human health and the environment from adverse effects.