MWRP: Sharing Zero Waste Model Across Southeast Asia – From Philippines to Vietnam and Indonesia

According to the Government of Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, a significant percentage of solid waste in Indonesia is unmanaged. Only 25% of solid waste is collected by centralized service providers, but this waste is not segregated and therefore is transported as mixed waste to landfills. In Vietnam, a rapid rise in tourism in Cam Thanh commune in Hoi An and the Cham Islands has led to mounting solid waste management challenges that also require more effective handling of large and growing quantities of waste.

According to the Government of Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, a significant percentage of solid waste in Indonesia is unmanaged. Only 25% of solid waste is collected by centralized service providers, but this waste is not segregated and therefore is transported as mixed waste to landfills. In Vietnam, a rapid rise in tourism in Cam Thanh commune in Hoi An and the Cham Islands has led to mounting solid waste management challenges that also require more effective handling of large and growing quantities of waste.

The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives Philippines (GAIA) is improving solid waste management, including recycling, in Indonesia and Vietnam as part of a Southeast Asia regional initiative that is managed out of the Philippines. In Indonesia, working in coordination with city governments and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the project team will establish zero waste pilot projects in Bandung. In Vietnam, GAIA will initiate zero waste activities in Cam Thanh commune in Hoi An and the Cham Islands, a UNESCO-designated global biosphere reserve. GAIA’s work will: (1) support community-based initiatives to develop zero waste pilot projects; (2) build the technical capacity of municipal governments in solid waste management; and (3) coordinate cross-border policy campaigns.