Blog

USAID Spotlights Cities at Our Ocean Conference

March 2, 2023 – Around the world, waste management is the responsibility of local governments. Few local government services are as visible in our daily lives—and important—as waste management. Yet many local governments lack the institutional capacity and resources necessary to successfully plan, build, and operate the on-the-ground waste management… Read More

Six Ways USAID is Advancing Gender Equality in the Waste Sector

Women play a critical role in the waste sector, as informal workers collecting plastics, or as owners of recycling centers and upcycling businesses—preventing plastic waste from reaching the ocean. Read More

60 Kenyan innovators selected for $70,000 Mombasa Plastics Prize

By Kang’ethe Njoroge The Mombasa Plastics Prize has selected 60 innovators whose ideas have been selected to tackle marine plastic pollution along the coastline of Mombasa County.   Aged 18-25, the finalists are grouped into 15 teams and are now in a race to be one of the top three teams… Read More

From Waste to Recovery: Reducing Ocean Plastic Pollution in the Dominican Republic

Reducing ocean plastic pollution in the Dominican Republic Read More

Blended Finance: A Blueprint to Support a Circular Economy in Indonesia

Like many rapidly urbanizing countries across Asia, Indonesia is faced with the challenge of reducing and recycling growing volumes of waste without the recycling infrastructure it requires. Increasing that challenge is the geographic reality of collecting waste across an archipelago of 17,000 islands.  In October 2022, the U.S. Agency for… Read More

Part of the Solution, Not Pollution

Nestled between two lush mountains with flowing rivers and mineral springs lies Sokobanja, a picturesque town in southeastern Serbia. Its rich cultural history and natural spas make Sokobanja a popular place to vacation for rest and relaxation. Yet, despite being marketed as an ecotourism destination, only two of Sokobanja’s 24… Read More

Best of 2022 – Ocean Plastics at USAID

In 2022, countries around the world came together in a momentous decision to develop a new global plastics treaty to end plastic pollution. In building the capacity of city governments for environmentally sound management of waste and an inclusive circular economy, USAID is enabling countries to set ambitious goals for… Read More

CCBO Launches New Capacity Building Tool for Local Governments

More than 22 million tons of plastic leak into our aquatic environment each year, the majority from land-based sources in communities and cities that aren’t able to adequately collect and manage local waste.  Local governments have an important role in providing on-the-ground services to control waste and prevent ocean plastic… Read More

Outfitting Waste Workers: Testimonies of a Safer, More Equitable Waste Sector in the Philippines

Uniforms can hold numerous benefits: protection, a professional image, or a sense of equality. However, informal workers—more than two billion people and over 60 percent of the world’s adult workforce—are seldom afforded the opportunity to wear a uniform and experience the benefits that it can hold.  Despite informal waste… Read More

From the Field: Strengthening Local Waste Systems from Top to Bottom

Catholic Relief Services and their partner Caritas Pasig, Inc., have worked in the City of Manila to improve solid waste management (SWM) through a multi-pronged approach: strengthening local government capacity and planning, promoting more sustainable community practices amongst community members, and empowering waste collectors who are vital to local waste systems.  Read More