SEI | A Waste Hero Alliance: Youth Visions for the inclusion and empowerment of informal waste workers in Asian Circular Cities
Focusing on five areas with an impact on the livelihoods of informal waste workers, this report presents key policy recommendations ideated by youth based on inputs from informal waste workers and feedback from other stakeholders. The Waste Hero Alliance is the result of an innovative multi-stakeholder policy dialogue series that connected informal waste workers and […]
Coastal Communities Drive Waste Collection and Recycling in Semporna Islands
Island Recycling Centers Enhance Waste Management in Three Islands in Semporna On Larapan Island and Omadal Island, the “Rumah Kitar Semula” or Recycling Centres have been successfully establishedto serve as collection points for recyclable materials under the islands’ waste management plans. Developed together with community-led action groups with funding from the European Union, and supported […]
ICLEI | City Practitioners Handbook: Reuse Starter Kit for Food and Beverages
Driven by changing lifestyles, increasing urbanization, and the rise of fast food, disposable packaging was marketed as hygienic, time-saving, and economically efficient. These items—plastic cutlery, expanded polystyrene (EPS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, symbolized progress and mobility in a society increasingly shaped by consumerism and on-the-go consumption patterns. Today, urban environments are overwhelmed by the […]
Rare, GEF, SGP, UNDP | Solutions to Plastic Pollution with Community-Based Behavior Change
Plastic pollution is a global crisis impacting natural systems, wildlife, and human health. Nations are currently negotiating a high-level treaty to coordinate efforts to reduce plastic use worldwide (Chen, Sulan et al., 2024). No single solution can solve this crisis. Tackling plastic pollution requires changes at every stage of production and use: governments must enact […]
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 […]
Empowering Island Communities: Community-led Waste Management Plans in Action
WWF-Malaysia’s No Plastic in Nature (NPIN) initiative has been working in Sabah with local governments, community-based organisations, universities and local businesses to tackle mounting plastic pollution in its coastal and marine environments, particularly in Sempora, a coastal town that sits along the Celebes Sea and serves as the gateway to some of the most biodiverse […]
Mitigating Marine Debris in Viet Nam Program Report
The project aims to reduce marine plastic pollution through policy reform, public awareness, and practical solutions. Approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the project supports Viet Nam’s national action plan on marine plastic waste until 2030. Implemented across 7 cities/districts and 3 marine protected areas, the project emphasizes collaboration among government, businesses, […]
Bogor’s Plastic Smart Cities Project Targets Traditional Markets to Reduce Plastic Pollution
Bogor’s Jambu Dua Traditional Market Piloting Clean and Eco-Friendly Local Market Initiative In a joint effort to improve waste management in traditional markets, the Bogor City Government and WWF-Indonesia are piloting an awareness and capacity-building programme for vendors, market managers and sanitation workers hired by Pakuan Jaya – a regional public company that owns and […]
Trang Municipality Establishes its First Informal Waste Workers Network
The initiative aims to better integrate informal waste workers (known as “saleng” in Thai) to into formal recycling systems, strengthen public–private partnerships, and promote sustainable waste practices across the city. 1 June 2025 — Trang’s first informal waste workers network – locally referred to as the Saleng Network – was launched on 29 May 2025 […]
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 […]