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 […]
Over 100 Informal Waste Workers Gather in First Annual Convention
The initiative aims to better integrate informal waste workers (known as “saleng”) in Thailand into formal waste management/recycling systems, strengthen public–private partnerships, and promote sustainable waste practices across the city. Over 120 Informal Waste Workers Gather in Surat Thani Behind Surat Thani’s cleaner streets are the Saleng workers—informal waste workers who keep the municipality moving, despite limited social protection, recognition, and support. On 9 December 2025, over 120 members from the Saleng Association were brought together for its annual convention organised by WWF-Thailand […]
Capacity Building Program Strengthens Civil Society in Gaziantep
In January 2024, Şahinbey Municipality in partnership with WWF-Turkiye launched the project ‘Wastepickers and Waste Not to Be Wasted in Gaziantep’, in one of Türkiye’s largest districts. Funded by the European Union, the project not only aims to strengthen waste management systems, but also promote social inclusion and better living conditions for registered waste pickers. […]
Transforming Waste Management and Lives in Izmir, Türkiye
WWF-Türkiye has been working with the Metropolitan Municipality (MM) of Izmir since 2019 when the city joined Plastic Smart Cities. At the time, waste segregation at the source was not widely practised in Türkiye. Project Objectives Download the Case Study to learn more about the Izmir Transformation. Note: The IzDönüşüm project is now ending due […]