Asia

Plastic is a Climate Issue, Too

A wide range of environmental changes threaten development. Of these challenges, climate change and plastic pollution in particular inspire concern and action from governments, scientists, and advocates alike. While it is easy to silo the approaches we take to address plastic pollution and climate change, there are fundamental connections between the two issues that can… Read More

Brief: Reducing Ocean Plastic Pollution in Paranaque City, Philippines

Ocean plastic pollution has reached crisis level, directly threatening marine ecosystems and their related industries, and exacerbating global challenges such as food security, health, and climate change. This issue is especially apparent in the Philippines, where about 1.9 million metric tons of mismanaged plastics enter the ocean every year —… Read More

Municipal Waste Recycling Program Philippines PRRCFI Fact Sheet

The Philippines ranks as the third largest contributor globally of ocean plastic pollution. Much of its solid waste ends up in open dumping sites, allowing leakage into waterways connected to the marine environment. Ineffective solid waste management (SWM) systems do not include segregation at source, contributing to the mismanagement of… Read More

MWRP Philippines: Encouraging Plastic Waste Reduction in Marine Protected Areas

Marine protected areas (MPAs) in the coastal zones surrounding Puerto Princesa City, Philippines, are home to rich marine biodiversity that sustains robust tourism and fishing industries on Palawan Island. Increasingly, MPAs suffer from the growing contamination of plastic waste, largely coming from Puerto Princesa City due to inadequate management of solid waste. High volumes of plastic waste harm the marine ecosystems, posing a threat to fishing and tourism livelihoods. Read More

USAID Launches Activity to Empower Women in Metro Manila’s Waste Sector

The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), launched a new project that will help women working in Metro Manila’s solid waste and recycling sectors gain access to business and livelihood opportunities. USAID’s Women in Waste’s Economic Empowerment (WWEE) is a four-year, approximately Php75-million project that will… Read More

MRWP Indonesia: Save Our Small Islands

Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands) is an ecologically sensitive chain of islands off the coast of Jakarta, Indonesia. The growing number of tourists and the islands’ position as a catchment area for marine currents carrying plastic pollution from the mainland is significantly impacting the surrounding marine environment. During the rainy season up to 40,000 tons of garbage end up in the waters around the islands, much of it plastic waste. Read More

MWRP Sri Lanka: Engaging Business Sectors to Reduce Plastic Waste

 Municipalities in Sri Lanka struggle to collect and properly dispose of solid waste in their jurisdictions, particularly the growing volume of plastic waste. Renewed economic growth, after the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war in 2009, has strained the country’s solid waste management system. Insufficient disposal sites and mismanaged processes… Read More