South Asia is the second-largest contributor of solid waste, producing 334 million metric tonnes annually. Of the 70 to 80 per cent of waste that ends up in the ocean, 12 per cent is plastic. To address the growing plastic waste crisis in the region, the Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia or PLEASE Project is meeting stakeholders from both the government, private sector and CSO, along with international donor organisations across South Asia. A similar roundtable is underway in Bhutan in Thimphu. The discussion brought in major issues and initiatives that the country can implement.
The primary issue discussed was Bhutan’s reliance on imports for 80 per cent of its plastic consumption. Some participants said that eliminating plastics is challenging since they are often by-products of other materials that are imported.
Officials from Thimphu Thromde requested the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources to have a proper framework and regulations for waste management and guidance to implement a circular economy in the country.
Through the PLEASE project, initiatives are already underway to reduce plastic waste in the country. The project has provided grants to five best innovative solutions in Bhutan to tackle plastic waste.
Anjalie Devaraja, Project Director of PLEASE Project said “The goal of the project is waste management in the South Asian region. So, here in Bhutan, we have already given five grants to Bhutan to tackle plastic waste for innovative solutions totalling 2.9 million US dollars. We are discussing with the government for another technical assistance, which will be supported to discuss the policy of the government.’’
The United Nations Office for Project Services, UNOPS which is one of the supporters of the PLEASE project said the initiative will help in fulfilling Bhutan’s commitment towards zero waste by 2030.
Jaime Alarma, Project Management Specialist of UNOPS said “So this round table discussion has three main areas that will focus on. The first one was in the policy framework, a regulatory framework to identify work maps the country meets to bridge and what is the plan going forward. We looked at the different bilateral and multi-lateral donor organisations and how these organisations should collaborate and work together in order not to overlap on different initiatives. The third area of discussion was to look at the different grant organisations, We essentially looked at what each of the organisations is doing and how these grants are supporting Bhutan.’’
PLEASE Project is a collaborative effort funded by the World Bank, implemented by South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) and supported by UNOPS.
The fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international treaty on plastic pollution, including in oceans is scheduled to take place later this year at South Korea where Bhutan will also take part.
Sonam Yuden
Edited by Kipchu
