Irrc

Gather to Share: Smartly Transform Waste to Resource

Participants of regional workshop on “Sustainable Development Benefits of Decentralized Municipal Solid Waste Management in Asia-Pacific Region” held at UNCC, Bangkok, November 30 – December 1, 2017.

WITH solid municipal waste becoming a shared problem in Asia-Pacific region, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) held a regional workshop on “Sustainable Development Benefits of Decentralized Municipal Solid Waste Management in Asia-Pacific Region” on November 30 and December 1 of 2017 at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) Bangkok, Thailand, during the ESCAP SDGs Week (November 27 – December 1, 2017). The workshop aims to address the initiation from ESCAP and its technical partner - ‘Waste Concern’ to implement Integrated Resource Recovery Centres (IRRCs) showcasing economic, environmental and social benefits of IRRCs along with the challenges during the

implementation. There were 33 participants representing national and local governments of Asian countries, urban waste management experts, IRRC project implementation partners, United Nations Agencies, and international institutions.

Represented by Secretary General, Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi, UCLG ASPAC contributed in sharing the challenges faced by cities in waste management and IRRCs’ implementation in Indonesia.

The workshop was a timely opportunity for learning lessons and sharing on the implementation of the IRRCs, which further enhances the potential to replicate and scale-up urban waste management solutions at local level. The key points of the presentations and panel discussions include approaches to decentralization and integration such as IRRCs for waste-to-resource recovery and their sustainable development benefits; financial and technical capacity building support for the implementation, scaling-up and replication of IRRCs; and also ways and factors for influencing national and local policy-making processes, ensuring multi-stakeholder partnerships for sustainable municipal solid waste management (SMSWM).

The main speakers touched on the challenges faced during the implementing phases of IRRC projects in 9 pilot cities: Kushtia (Bangladesh), Jambi and Malang (Indonesia), Kampot (Cambodia), Islamabad (Pakistan), Matale and Ratnapura (Sri Lanka), Kon Tum and Quy Nhon (Viet Nam). During the opening session, Mr. Kinlay Dorjee, Mayor of Thimpu Municipality (Bhutan), shared the challenges for solid waste management and the local government’s efforts, including establishing local regulations for segregating waste at source, and outsourcing municipal waste collection and treatment to social enterprises.

When it comes to sharing experiences and key lessons from the implementation of IRRCs, Mr. Iftekhar Enayetullah, representing Waste Concern, put emphasis on the importance of engaging national and local stakeholders in a multi-stakeholder approach for implementing IRRCs and local capacity building. He also highlighted key factors for the success of IRRCs such as an enabling environment composed of national and local policies, regulations, and fiscal incentives for waste management using 3R (ReduceReuse-Recycle) approaches. This session also included speakers from the pilot cities sharing their experience of implementing or operating an IRRC. The speakers shared the challenges, successful local strategies and partnerships, and the wide range of benefits related to the implementation of IRRCs, as well as the nationally and locally supported IRRC replication.

The workshop also reviewed and discussed different models of private-public partnerships to promote decentralized IRRCs, 3R approach and economic incentives where Bangladesh (Mr. Abul Kalam Azad), Bhutan (Mr Kinlay Dorjee), Nepal (Mr. Bhushan Tuladhar) and UNEP (Mr. Mushtaq Ahmed Memon) shared their experiences and ideas. The moderator emphasized on the need for strong cooperation between central and local levels, public-private partnership on finance, and enforcement of 'polluter pays principle' as an effective source for financing.

Conclusion and recommendations by Mr. Curt Carrigan from UNESCAP, and the key learnings or realizations from participants summed up the event. They addressed how the IRRCs could move forward while reinforcing 3R principles. It was stressed that the IRRC is not an isolated project and should be embedded within national policy in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the New Urban Agenda (NUA), Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and the Regional Road Map for Implementing 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific (Regional Roadmap).