Asia

USAID Announces New Vietnam Partnership to Address Ocean Plastic Pollution

On January 12, 2022 the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Clean Cities, Blue Ocean (CCBO) program and the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands (VASI) announced a partnership to stem the tide of ocean plastic pollution through improved local solid waste management. Through the partnership,… Read More

Clean Cities, Blue Ocean Gender Equality & Women’s Economic Empowerment Fact Sheet

Across the globe, women play a critical role in the solid waste management (SWM) and recycling sectors. They serve in both formal and informal positions as waste collectors, owners or employees of small recycling centers and junkshops, workers in plastic and pre-processing companies, and sometimes as owners or workers in… Read More

From the Field: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs to Combat Plastic Pollution in the Philippines

In the Philippines, USAID’s Clean Cities, Blue Ocean (CCBO) program is supporting innovative, locally-led solutions to address ocean plastic pollution at its source through partnerships with local grantees who are developing scalable solutions with measurable impact.  Program grantee, The Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX), began piloting its Aling Tindera… Read More

Circulate Capital Increases its Commitment to Indonesia Plastic Pollution Prevention with New Investment into Reciki’s Optimized Material Recovery Solution

Cross-posted from Circulate Captial Singapore, 14 December 2021: Circulate Capital, the Singapore-based investment management firm that finances innovations, companies, and infrastructure to prevent ocean plastic and climate change by advancing the circular economy, today announced that the Circulate Capital Ocean Fund (CCOF) is investing in Reciki… Read More

Municipal Waste Recycling Program Key Results and Impacts

Launched in 2016, the Municipal Waste Recycling Program was USAID’s first formal response to the urgent challenge of plastic pollution in developing countries. Download the infographic to view the program’s key results and impacts. Read More

USAID’s Clean Cities, Blue Ocean Program Awards its First Grants in the Maldives

Each day, over 750 tons of waste is generated across the Maldives, a nation of more than 1,200 islands. Posing a unique set of solid waste management (SWM) challenges with limited land for waste storage, the country’s dispersed geography requires innovative SWM systems and a circular economy to manage  its… Read More

Timor-Leste: Paving the Way on Plastics Recycling

A staggering 70 tons of plastic waste is generated on a daily basis in Timor-Leste, a population of 1.3 million, threatening human health, wildlife, and tourism. Plastic is burned in rubbish piles, clogs critical drainage infrastructure, and washes up on its once pristine beaches. This creates risks to human health… Read More

CCBO Initial Solid Waste Management Assessment Indonesia

The following presents CCBO’s Initial Solid Waste Management Assessment (ISWMA) for the program’s three “engagement sites” in the Republic of Indonesia: Kota Ambon, Kota Semarang, and Kota Makassar. The ISWMA is one of CCBO’s first steps in its launch of in-field implementation and will support its engagement sites to create… Read More

MWRP Vietnam: Schools Stem the Tide of Plastic Pollution, Spark Waste Reduction

In the coastal city of Hue, Vietnam, plastic consumption and unsound solid waste management practices were leading to an unmanageable pollution problem. Read More

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