Leveraging Korea’s Experience in the Solid Waste

Project Summary:

Dealing with solid waste is an enormous challenge for many countries facing rapid urbanization and economic growth.
 In many countries, solid waste management contributes significantly to social stratification: “waste pickers” descend on waste sites in poor urban areas with especially poor solid waste management services. Governments can harness “waste” to generate profits, lower GHG emissions, and contribute to shared prosperity, while reducing poverty and improving quality of life. Green waste management can also save billions of dollars for citizens, cities, and nations. Countries such as Korea have used technology to harness solid waste management to tackle similar challenges since the 1960s. Peer-to-peer learning is one way the KGGTF’s USD $225,000 program is sharing knowledge about how governments can manage waste and promote economic growth and prosperity. Korea will “pay forward” lessons from its experience for the benefit of the countries of China, Benin, and the Central African Republic. As the cross-sector collaboration strengthens knowledge related to common challenges, the program will sup- port on-going World Bank initiatives, including municipal and global solid waste management programs, a regional and city improvement program, the Benin emergency urban environment program, and the Benin cities support program.  

List of Activities:

• Assessing the needs of participating cities before producing case studies (e.g. solid waste value chain, from collection and transport, through to disposal, diversion and energy recovery) outlining lessons learned and best practices, translated into multiple languages and delivered over an online platform
• Assisting city authorities to put plans into action by combining the case studies with technical knowledge
• Organizing knowledge events, webinars, workshops, and learning visits for authorities facing acute solid waste management challenges

Outcomes:

Output 1:

• Identify topics, ensuring relevance to Bank clients

Output 2:

• Develop case studies on each topic, telling the story of both successful and unsuccessful change

Output 3:

• Organize learning and knowledge exchange events, such as VCs, webinars, in-person workshops, learning visits, using the case study material that has been developed

Outcomes:

• Inclusiveness: This work will have a positive impact on inclusiveness in cities. In many World Bank client countries, solid waste management has a high social dimension due to the presence of waste pickers and the fact that poor areas of the cities are generally excluded from solid waste services.
• Green: Ecofriendly management of solid waste through reuse and recycling of waste contributes to sustainable green growth as it transform waste which otherwise would become nuisance to the environment into valuable commodities.
• Resilient: Implementing adequate solid waste management policies and technologies in developing countries to contribute to make cities more resilient to the effect of climate change.
• Growth: Improved waste management attracts investors and sustains economic growth. It also improves public health which has a direct correlation with productivity which leads to economic growth.

Collaboration with K-Partners and Others:

This project was jointly implemented by EASIN, AFTU2, UDRUR, GPOBA and TWI with the objective to draw on the wealth of Korean knowledge and experience on best practices in solid waste management in the face of rapid urbanization and economic growth.