Disclaimer:
Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed. It consists of personal reflections, insights, and learnings of the contributor(s). It may not be exhaustive, nor does it aim to be authoritative knowledge.
Title
Please provide a name for your action learning plan.
Plastic Waste Management
Challenge statement
Challenge type: If you are working on multiple challenges, please indicate if this is your "big bet" or "exploratory" challenge.
Please note: we ask you to only submit a maximum of 3 challenges - 1x Big Bet, 2x Exploratory. Each challenge must be submitted individually.
EXPLORATORY
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
Our challenge is that with the increasing volume of plastic waste being dumped (open and controlled), it is creating negative impact to the overall environment and health of the local people.
Background: What is the history of your challenge? What is causing or driving it? Who is involved? How does the current situation look like? What undesired effects does it produce?
Nepal has been facing the issues of waste for the very long time now. On top of that, dumping of plastic waste has been causing environmental pollution, waterlogging and contamination of soil and water; affecting the health and wellbeing of humans and animals alike. With the rapid urbanization and growing consumption of fast-moving consumer goods along with recyclable and non-recyclable plastic products, which are affordable, easily accessible and easily replaceable, it is a huge challenge to manage the increasing production of plastic and its waste. This requires attention on how this complex issue can be solved through multiple approaches working together with multi-stakeholders. It includes working with the polluters, both local community and private companies who are responsible on plastic production. Due to the lack of data and detail information on the current situation and the work that has been done on plastic waste management, Accelerator Lab in Nepal conducted a research in December 2020, particularly exploring the current scenario of waste and its management at the local level in the urban context. The study (UNDP, 2020) revealed that urban municipalities (285 out of 293) generated approximately 350 tons of plastic waste every day and 60% municipalities were facing problems and difficulties in managing it. Only a handful of municipalities were recycling (14%) and recovering waste (7.5%) while the rest were dumped (open and controlled). Similarly, only 3% of the plastic production companies showed interest on using alternatives to plastic if there is provision of some subsidy from the government in doing so.
Quantitative evidence: What (official) data sources do you have on this challenge that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge? You can add text, a link, or a picture.
There are very few studies done in the context of plastic waste and there are no policies as such to bring plastics into circular economy. Hence UNDP Accelerator Lab conducted a research to deep dive into this complex issue. The primary data collected during the research is embedded below along with the infographics.
Data collection till_2020-11-18-12 at 6.30 PM.xlsx (sharepoint.com) https://www.np.undp.org/content/nepal/en/home/library/crisis_prevention_and_recovery/exploring-the-avenues-for-plastic-waste-management.html
Qualitative evidence: What weak signals have you recently spotted that characterizes its urgency? Please provide qualitative information that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge. You can add text, a link, or a picture.
While exploring and diving deep into the context of plastic waste management, we found a lot of weak signals. Firstly, lack of data and information, secondly siloed approach of various organizations, lack of policy and investment on plastic waste management and lack of motivating schemes and subsidies for institutions that are interested in investing on alternatives to plastic or waste to energy approaches. Links to relevant reports and articles are embedded in the links below.
https://www.np.undp.org/content/nepal/en/home/library/crisis_prevention_and_recovery/exploring-the-avenues-for-plastic-waste-management.html<div><br></div> https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/30366/solid-waste-management-nepal.pdf
https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/industrial-scale-litter/ https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-covid-19-plastic-pandemic/ https://kathmandupost.com/opinion/2018/06/05/a-plastic-world
Value proposition: What added value or unique value proposition is your Accelerator Lab bringing to solving this challenge? Why is it your Lab that needs to work on this challenge and not other actors within UNDP, other stakeholders in the country respectively? Why is it worth investing resources to this challenge?
Added Value: We are exploring on bringing onboard community, private sectors, academia and local governments to test multiple solutions that could contribute to circular economy. This multiple collaboration will add value not only in terms of financial resources but also in terms of generating new unexplored ideas/ options to manage plastics, especially non-recyclable ones. Why Us: We have the mandate to explore, test and work with unusual partners and co-design prototypes in a short time frame with no regrets on failure, more focus towards learning and modifying the ideas as per the local needs. We are the risk takers and are exploring ideas on energy recovery and circular economy by using waste plastic, which are yet to be tested and requires approval by the government. We are planning to bring onboard other actors within UNDP and other like-minded organization to work in collaboration. Lots of organizations are interested in working in this complex issue but facing challenges in terms of prototyping and policy drive; where Accelerator Lab can come on board and contribute as a steppingstone. Why worth investing?: There are lots of great ideas and solutions ready to be tested at the local level to solve various complex developmental challenges. However, there are no organizations ready to invest on these yet to be explored ideas due to the operational risk associated with it. If these solutions are tested and approved by at least one local government, it can stir policy level changes and cause a ripple effect on solving complex issue of plastic waste and beyond. Our hypothesis here is "If locally sourced solutions are promoted and linked with circular economy, it has a high chance of being adapted on that will change behavioral patterns in a long term."
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
Accelerator Lab in Nepal are unboxing the ever-increasing problem of #PasticWaste through various existing and yet to be explored solutions in the context feasible for Nepal that could contribute to #CircularEconomy.
Partners
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Green Roads Waste Management Private Limited
What sector does our partner belong to?
Private Sector
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Exploring the possibility of plastic-mixed bricks in Nepal
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Pokhara Metropolitan City
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Conduct compressive strength tests in the lab of the municipality and receive their accredited test results. On the basis of the results, a demonstration unit will be constructed using the plastic-mixed bricks if it is tested feasible.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Centre for Energy and Environment Nepal
What sector does our partner belong to?
Civil Society
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
exploring possibilities of creating and testing refused derived fuel from waste plastic and paper for claycraft making factories.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Bikash Udhyami Private Limited
What sector does our partner belong to?
Private Sector
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Conduct evidence-based research to deep dive on the existing scenario of plastic waste in the urban context of Nepal.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Avni Ventures Private Limited
What sector does our partner belong to?
Private Sector
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
exploring the potential of converting non-recyclable plastics into Refused Derived Fuel for cement factories in order to test the waste to fuel concept in the context of Nepal.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
How can the recyclable and non-recyclable plastic waste add value to the circular economy? There is a market for recyclable plastic waste, but the major issue is for the ones that are non-recyclable and have complex composition. For this, we are trying to explore and test the feasibility of plastic mixed products (construction material and fuel). If feasible, these needs to go through a policy formulation which might require a high level advisory support.
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Sense, Explore, Test
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
1. Behavioral Insights: The change in the perception of waste and using plastic as a resource needs to be inbuilt at the citizen level. For this we want to test the change in the behavioral patterns over time after inducing incentives for recycling waste. This is still at the early stage of sensing and will be used once concrete players are onboard for testing. 2. Participatory Design: Among the various possible solutions that we have explored for plastic waste management, we are currently testing the possibility of plastic-mixed bricks. Once the test results are positive and accepted by the local government, we will be designing a demonstration structure together with the municipal official through a participatory approach. 3. Prototype: The approved design of the demonstration unit will be converted into a prototype. 4. Collective Intelligence: We are also planning to conduct collective intelligence session on exploring possible solutions once there is positive response from like-minded stakeholders. 5. Solutions Mapping: We have been crowdsourcing diverse ideas to collect the already existing as well as potential solutions to support on reducing the affect of plastic pollution.
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
1. Geospatial Data: The GIS map that we have created for each urban municipality have helped us visualize the current scenario for each municipality, which otherwise have not been initiated yet. This mapping has helped us as well as the local government on understanding the composition of plastic waste generated at the local level, which will further guide on proposing relevant solutions as per the local need. 2. Direct Interviews: We have conducted direct interviews with the focal persons of each urban municipality and 53 private plastic production companies to sense and explore the potential causes and effect of plastic waste. This has helped us understand the actual scenario at the local level. 3. Surveys: Without understanding where we stand in terms of managing this complex issue, it was difficult to know from where to start. Hence, surveys have been the primary data source for us to unpack emerging questions in terms of analyzing the gaps and tap the areas of interest of the local government. We are planning for more specific surveys and research to explore and test possible local solutions.
Closing
Early leads to grow: Think about the possible grow phase for this challenge - who might benefit from your work on this challenge or who might be the champions in your country that you should inform or collaborate with early on to help you grow this challenge?
Local government, private sectors and community will benefit from this work. The Government (local, provincial and federal) needs to be collaborated from the early stage on to help grow the ideas on solving this challenge. We are simultaneously having conversation with other UNDP projects contributing to circular economy and the relevant Ministries so that our approach could be integrated in one way or the other.
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8Decent work and economic growth
11Sustainable cities and communities
12Responsible consumption and production
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