Lorenzo Santucci, Economic Affairs Officer &

João Aleluia, Project Coordinator

Environment and Development Division

CITYNET Congress 2013

Seoul, Republic of Korea, 4 November 2013

Turning waste into a resource: challenges and

opportunities in Asia-Pacific

www.waste2resource.org

2

• 62 member states

• UN-ESCAP covers the world’s most

populous region

• Based in Bangkok, with 4 sub-

regional offices

• UN-ESCAP fosters:

• Regional cooperation to promote social and economic development

• Normative, analytical & technical cooperation at the regional level

• A platform for South-South dialogue / exchange of practices

About UN-ESCAP

Rapid urbanization and economic growth, accompanied by high

consumption patterns, is leading to increased solid waste generation

in cities in Asia-Pacific

3 Source: ESCAP based on data from World Bank (2012)

Solid waste generation (thousand tons/day) in middle

income developing countries in Asia-Pacific

-

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

1995 2010 2025

Municipal Solid Waste Trends

The current paradigm is not sustainable and overlooks the

enormous potential for turning waste into resources!

End-of-pipe solutions, such as open dumping and landfilling, are practiced

in most cities and towns in Asia, with associated negative externalities

Vermin and

other disease

vectors

Leachate (pollution of water

sources)

Odor

Nuisance

Methane

Emissions (a Greenhouse

gas)

More Land

Required for

landfilling

Negative

Externalities

4

Current Solid Waste Management Practices

5 Source: ESCAP based on data from World Bank, 2012

The high percentage of organic waste (50-70%) and recyclables (20-35%) in low

and middle income countries of Asia-Pacific means that:

85-90% of waste can be converted into valuable resources such as:

• Compost through aerobic treatment

• Bio-gas/electricity through anaerobic digestion

• Recycled materials

Organic 35.9%

Paper 24.3%

Plastic 10.8%

Glass 4.6%

Metal 5%

Other 19.5%

Organic 51.4 %

Paper 13.3 %

Plastic 11.3 %

Glass 4.4%

Metal 4.4%

Other 15%

Organic 65 %

Paper 5.8 %

Plastic 9 %

Glass 6 %

Metal 5.3 %

Other 11.8 %

High Income countries Low Income countries Middle Income countries

Waste Composition Patterns in Asia-Pacific

Recover

Reduce

Reuse

Controlled Dump

The Waste Management Hierarchy

Landfill / Incineration

6

There is a need to change towards a more systemic approach based on 3R

principles, where value can be generated from waste, with potential for co-

benefits along the three dimensions of sustainable development

Source: World Bank, 2012

Recycle

Energy recovery

Composing / digestion

Least preferred

Most preferred

Waste Diversion

Waste Disposal

Paradigm Shift and the Need for System Change

7

An Integrated Resource Recovery Center (IRRC) is a facility where a

significant portion (80-90%) of waste can be processed in a cost effective

way, in proximity to the source of generation, and in a decentralized

manner. The IRRC concept is based on 3R principles.

Waste IRRC

• Organic Waste

• Inorganic Waste

• Used Cooking Oil

• Others

Compost

Biogas

Recyclables

RDF

Biodiesel

CERs

Residues

Cost and Liability Processing Resources 1 2 3

90%

10%

The IRRC Approach and Concept

8

Characteristics of an Integrated Resource Recovery Center

Capacity: 2-20 tons of organic waste per day

Decentralized and neighborhood based

Financially viable (low investment and operational profits)

Requires separation of waste at source (organic vs. inorganic)

Land requirements are relatively small (150-200 m2 per ton of capacity)

The IRRC Approach and Concept

9

Replicable and flexible Easy to replicate as IRRCs are low cost, easy to operate and rely on

local materials and labor for construction and operation

Decentralized Treats waste close to the source, reducing transport costs. Particularly

suited for secondary cities and small towns and underserved areas in

larger cities, where it can complement a centralized system

Multi-stakeholder

approach

Involvement of stakeholders at all levels helps to upscale the IRRC

approach city wide and supports all aspects of the waste management

process, reducing the burden for local governments.

Strong social pillar Involving local community changes perceptions and attitudes towards

waste and waste workers. Creation of employment opportunities - both

for skilled and unskilled labor.

Pro-poor approach

Provides livelihoods and social protection to urban poor/waste pickers

with increased income, better working conditions through use of

protective gear and provide services such as health insurance.

Diverse income streams

An IRRC can process more than one product from waste and charge

collection fee for waste collection services, providing a diversity of

income sources

Technology transfer and

training Through its partner Waste Concern, ESCAP supports the transfer of

technology and provides training to stakeholders

What makes our approach unique?

The IRRC Approach and Concept

10 Source: UN-ESCAP and Waste Concern

What does an IRRC operation look like?

VIET NAM

CAMBODIA SRI LANKA

PAKISTAN BANGLADESH

11

Islamabad

Karachi

Mardan

Matale

Ratnapura Battambang

Kushtia Kampot

Quy Nhon

Kon Tum

Ha Tinh

Hoi An

Baseline study

IRRC

Legend 5 Countries

13 cities

Ta Khmao

ESCAP Regional Programme in Asia-Pacific

Matale has been the pioneer in implementing the IRRC model, and the

decentralized approach has been scaled-up city wide

12

Before project

Matale

18 tons of waste collected and transported

daily to the dumpsite incurring high cost to

municipality with no revenues derived

Present dumpsite to reach capacity soon and

scarcity of land for waste disposal

Population of 40,000 people

Area of 8.6 sq.km

23 tons of waste generated per day

17 tons of waste collected per day

70% of the waste generated is organic

After IRRC project

A pilot IRRC began operations in 2007 to

process 2 tons of waste in Matale

By 2013 the IRRC has been scaled up to

process 12 tons of waste on a daily basis

covering 4,000 households and main market.

Sri Lanka – Matale

Name board at the entrance Composting facility Maturing boxes

Sieving the compost Composting boxes Leachate collection tank

13

Sri Lanka – Matale (the first project)

14

Before project

Quy Nhon

An existing large-scale composting plant with

foreign technology has been operating far

below the rated capacity processing mixed

waste and producing low quality compost.

Lack of community participation in waste

management

Population of 271,248 people

Area of 284 sq.mm

195 tons of waste generated per day

166 tons of waste collected per day

80% of the waste generated is organic

After IRRC project

A pilot IRRC began operations in 2007 in

Nhon Phu ward to process 2 tons of waste

Waste collected from 2,000 households and 2

small markets on a daily basis

Source separation extended city-wide,

diverting 35 tons/day to a larger compost plant

ESCAP has been working with two communes in the city of Quy Nhon, and the

IRRC in Nhon Phu has been the first to achieve financial sustainability

Viet Nam – Quy Nhon

15

Organic farm at

Nhon Phu IRRC

IRRC in Nhon Phu,

Quy Nhon

Compost bags, IRRC of

Nhon Phu

Viet Nam – Quy Nhon

16

Before project

Kampot

All waste collected is disposed at the

dumpsite which is soon to reach capacity and

is located 11 km away from the city

Lack of community participation and source

separation of waste

Growth in tourism puts pressure for solutions

to keep the city clean

Population of 40,000 people

18 tons of waste generated per day

12 tons of waste collected per day

65% of the waste generated is organic

After IRRC project

A 4-ton IRRC was constructed and began

operations in 2013

The IRRC is collecting all organic waste

generated in the main market (2 - 2.5 tons) and

is now expanding to restaurants, hotels and

households to process 4 tons daily

ESCAP has supported the city of Kampot in implementing the first IRRC in

Cambodia, where operations started in early 2013

Cambodia

Kampot

Cambodia – Kampot

IRRC, Kampot

Bio digester and rain water

harvesting Leachate collection tank

17

Workers at IRRC

Compost box

Cambodia – Kampot

Lessons Learnt

• Consultation and involvement of all stakeholders that participate in all stages of waste

management process is crucial for effective implementation and operation of the IRRC

• Regular communication campaigns can achieve positive results in source separation

when beneficiaries have a clear understanding of its benefits

• Local / provincial governmental departments can contribute to different aspects of waste

management due to shared common goals

• Waste pickers become active collaborators in formal waste management processes when

their needs and interests are duly addressed

• Waste collection fees in developing countries are too low: there is a need to raise them in

order to improve the business case for sustainable solid waste management practices.

Experience shows that households are willing to pay higher fees, provided they get better

collection services in return

• Heavy subsidies provided to chemical fertilizers are a barrier to the uptake of composting

practices. Government should consider providing a level playing field to compost

producers while ensuring its quality.

18

Critical aspects for successful replication

• The IRRC approach uses simple, non-mechanized and low cost

techniques for converting waste into resources and is particularly

suited for small and medium sized cities in developing countries

• Critical aspects for replication include:

• Strong political support from mayor and council

• Effective participation of various stakeholders in design and

implementation, including waste pickers

• Effective and continuous engagement of households and

citizens in source separation activities

20

Waste Management and Climate Change Mitigation

The disposal of waste in landfills and open

dumps generates methane, a greenhouse

gas (GHG) with a global warming potential

20 times higher than CO2

Approaches to solid waste management that

focus on resource recovery can avoid the

generation of GHG, contributing to climate

change mitigation and attract climate

financing

Until recently the vehicle to tap into climate

financing was the Clean Development

mechanism (CDM). Now other mechanisms

being discussed. One of the most promising

is Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions

(NAMAs)

21

Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) seem one of the most promising

avenues for financing GHG emission reductions in developing countries

Why a NAMA on the waste sector?

Opportunities for a NAMA in the Waste Sector

Developed countries pledged technical and financial support for NAMA

development, and financing is expected to flow both from bilateral and

multilateral sources

NAMAs offer an opportunity to fully align project level activities into national

strategies, programmes and policies

A NAMA programme that looks into waste as a resource has the potential to

bring transformational change to developing countries in the Asia-Pacific

region

1

2

3

Municipalities could be the drivers and enablers to nationally-endorsed greenhouse

gas emission reduction programmes, which could result in benefits in terms of

international climate finance, capacity building and technology transfer

Waste Sector

National Policies and Strategies

Municipal

Solid Waste

Country

Province

Municipality

22

Opportunities for a NAMA in the Waste Sector

Other Sectors (Energy, Agriculture, Transport, etc.)

Ve

rtic

al

Inte

gra

tio

n

Potential for a NAMA initiated and

implemented at municipal level

Conclusions and key messages

23

• Solid waste management has become an issue of increasing global concern, as urban

populations continue to rise and consumption patterns change

• Need for paradigm shift and system change, moving from end of pipe approaches to

new ways of seeing and valuing waste

• The IRRC approach has proved effective in managing municipal solid waste upstream

in a cost effective way and in the process provides green jobs to urban poor

• The decentralized IRRC approach is best suited to small towns and secondary cities

and saves costs for local government

• The IRRC model can be replicated and up scaled to treat all MSW generated in the city

through multi stakeholder approach

Municipalities can be the drivers to nationally-backed programmes on climate change

mitigation in the waste sector, such as NAMAs, which could be a means to tap from

international support in terms of finance, technology and capacity building

www.waste2resource.org

http://www.youtube.com/user/Wastetoresource

Thank you for the attention!

24