Recycling

Sri Lanka faces substantial challenges in managing its Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), attributed to factors like population growth, urbanization, changing consumption patterns, and fast growth of industrial and service sectors. Alarmingly, only 37% of city and district centers in the country benefit from official MSW collection services. The use of...

This document presents the methodology and findings for a national plastic waste inventory for Sri Lanka. It has been prepared as part of the project titled “Marine litter and micro-plastics: Promoting the environmentally sound management of plastic wastes and achieving the prevention and minimization of the generation of plastic wastes,”...

Solid waste management is a critical issue that affects both the environment and public health, posing significant challenges to communities and governments worldwide. In Cambodia, like in many developing nations, effective solid waste management is a pressing concern due to rapid urbanization, population growth, and industrialization. The rise in...

The sustainability transition requires transformative systemic change, shifting away from mass production and consumption towards the dematerialization of production processes and maximizing the value and longevity of materials and products. Bold leadership is needed to move towards a new economic and social system that decouples economic...

This chapter is developed to the Plastic Atlas Japan Special Edition プラスチック・アトラス アジア［日本語特別版］. As discussed by the chapter, Japan has introduced numerous innovative policies and strategies to promote the circulation of resources and to build a sustainable society. The Japanese experience shows that building an adequate waste management system is a...

This chapter is newly added to the Plastic Atlas Japan Special Edition プラスチック・アトラス アジア［日本語特別版］. From the “economic miracle” period up to the present, Japan has built an excellent system for efficiently collecting and recycling recyclable waste. Yet, recycling does not constitute a definitive solution. Rather, it is important to lower the amount of...

Pollution caused by the irresponsible disposal of plastics is a significant issue, particularly in developing countries like Sri Lanka. It is estimated that only 9% of all plastics ever produced globally have been recycled. However, not all plastics are equal in this equation, PET, in particular, stands out, given that they are 100% recyclable. Sri...

This case study reports on the development of a healthcare waste management (HCWM) system at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) in Nepal where the intervention began in 2014 with support from HECAF 360, a local NGO, and Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), an international NGO, and WHO Nepal. It describes the approach and path followed by...

Our longing for incessant and rapid economic growth came at a cost of inefficient and wasteful use of resources and environmental pollution. The consequences are immense and far exceeding the planetary capacities to regenerate itself at such a fast pace. It became clear that a transition to sustainable societies cannot occur with our current linear...