World Bank Group | What a Waste 3.0: Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management Toward Circularity until 2050
As the global plastic crisis intensifies, understanding the trajectory of waste generation is essential for building resilient, plastic-smart urban centres. The World Bank’s latest publication, What a Waste 3.0: Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management Toward Circularity until 2050, provides a critical data-driven roadmap. This report offers a comprehensive look at current waste management practices […]
C40 | Toolkit for cities: Practical actions to integrate informal waste workers into municipal solid waste management systems
As cities worldwide strive to meet ambitious zero-waste targets, the contribution of informal waste workers (IWWs) has become a cornerstone of sustainable urban management. This toolkit provides municipal authorities with a practical, step-by-step roadmap to recognise, protect, and integrate these essential workers into formal solid waste management systems. By prioritising social dialogue and inclusive policy-making, […]
UNDP, Viet Nam NPAP | Research on the integration of independent waste workers in solid waste management in Viet Nam
How can Vietnam achieve its ambitious target of increasing plastic recycling from 11% to 38% by 2030? The answer lies in the strategic integration of Independent Waste Workers (IDWWs). This 2025 study by UNDP Viet Nam provides a comprehensive roadmap for transitioning the informal waste sector into a formalised, rights-based system. By addressing institutional barriers […]
Alliance to End Plastic Waste | The Challenges and Solutions for Flexible Plastic Packaging Waste
How can the global community move beyond the linear “take-make-waste” model for flexible plastics? This technical report by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste provides a critical roadmap for Europe and North America, identifying the most effective collection, sorting, and recycling solutions. By evaluating circularity enablers and systemic barriers, the report offers a blueprint for […]
Towards Circular Systems: Lessons Learned Plastic Smart Cities
This study captures learnings from a range of PSC pilot interventions conducted between 2018 and 2024 from five countries in East and Southeast Asia where we have had some of the longest history of engagement: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam. However, the PSC programme has continued to expand globally and this study […]
ESCAP | Circular Approaches to Solid Waste Management
The Urban-Act project aims to promote low-carbon and resilient urban development in the Asia-Pacific region from April 2022 to December 2027. It supports countries in achieving their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through collaboration among various regional partners. Asia and the Pacific face escalating challenges in solid waste management […]
WWF-Thailand | A Handbook for Developing Plastic Smart Cities in Thailand
Plastic Smart Cities (PSC) Thailand is a four-year program (2021-2024) financially supported by the NRK & Norad through World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Norway. Plastic Smart Cities are cities that aim to have zero plastic leakage into nature. The program’s overall objective is to reduce plastic leakage by 30% in the near term, and […]
RWA Group | Rethinking Waste and Resource Management for Underserved Communities
Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is a basic service, yet over 2.7 billion people still lack access to collection, and 40% of collected MSW is open-dumped or burned. This global waste emergency has severe local and global impacts — extending services to all would reduce macroplastic dispersal to the environment by ~80% and mitigate climate […]
WWF-Viet Nam | Manual on Plastic Waste Reduction using the Participatory Action-Oriented Training (PAOT) Method
The Participatory Action-Oriented Training (PAOT) is a practical method that fosters grassroots initiatives and bases on self-help voluntary actions that enable local people to implement immediate improvements in occupational health and safety and working conditions by using available local resources (manpower and materials). Building on the experience of implementing the PAOT method for plastic reduction […]
WWF-Viet Nam | The Plastic Reduction Journey of Hue City
In Hue City, the project “Hue – A Plastic Smart City in Central Vietnam” (hereinafter referred to as TVA project) funded by WWF-Norway through WWF-Vietnam, with Hue City People’s Committee as the executive agency, has been implemented from 2021 to 2024. The overall objective of the Project is to support Hue city in protection of […]