• CIWM and WasteAid have partnered to promote waste management best practice in The Gambia.
• The project builds on WasteAid’s recycling projects and will help stakeholders develop a shared vision for sustainable resource management and a circular economy.
• Pilot waste-to-wealth projects will support local innovation and green livelihood opportunities.

The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) has entered into an 18-month funded partnership with WasteAid, the international non-governmental organisation that shares waste management and recycling skills in lower- and middle-income countries, to support the development of waste management in the Greater Banjul Area (GBA) of The Gambia.

The GBA is home to 26% of The Gambian population, and a lack of comprehensive waste management systems is leading to significant health risks, marine plastic pollution and climate change emissions. The project will see WasteAid engage with a wide range of stakeholders to progress the delivery of sustainable waste management capacity, develop skills among the professional community and support the transition to a circular economy through education, training and investment.

Ceris Turner-Bailes, WasteAid CEO said: “We are sincerely grateful to CIWM for supporting WasteAid’s work in The Gambia. This project complements our previous recycling projects by helping develop a shared vision for sustainable resource management and a circular economy on a regional and national level. CIWM’s involvement means we can also leverage knowledge sharing and mentoring opportunities to drive best practice and promote professional standards in waste management.”

This partnership is the first of its kind for CIWM and will help deliver its strategic goals to advance waste and resource management capability and the transition to circular economies across the globe, and to respond to country-specific needs and ensure CIWM’s support for professionals is targeted and relevant.

Sarah Poulter, CIWM CEO said: “Sustainable waste management is a global social responsibility and a core element of the CIWM’s ambition to move to a world beyond waste. The decision to support WasteAid’s work in The Gambia is underpinned by the country’s genuine desire to better manage the waste it produces and develop a more circular economy. We’re excited about the positive impact this partnership will have on people’s lives and are committed to helping educate and inspire the local professional community. In doing so there is the opportunity to dramatically improve resource efficiency and create an environment where circular strategies can flourish.”

WasteAid has been working in The Gambia since 2015, and has built a strong network of government, private sector and community-based organisations with an interest in sustainable waste management. This project will see the formation of a circular economy network, the delivery of training and events, and a mentoring programme between CIWM members in the UK and Gambian members. WasteAid will also run a challenge for grassroots circular economy innovations, and develop a sustainable waste and recycling system that includes livelihood opportunities for 30 vulnerable people.

Written by Zoë Lenkiewicz

NOTES

About WasteAid

• WasteAid is a leading international development organisation on a mission to tackle the global waste crisis. 2 billion people do not have their waste collected and 3 billion lack a decent disposal site, leading to the spread of disease and polluting the air, land, rivers and oceans.
• WasteAid works with communities in low-income countries to address the root causes of poor health, climate change and marine plastic pollution.
• WasteAid shares waste management knowledge and skills with governments and communities in low-income countries; trains people to become self-employed recycling entrepreneurs; and influences decision-makers and the donor community to increase investment in waste management – wasteaid.org

About CIWM

• CIWM is the leading membership organisation for professionals in the sustainability, resources and waste management sector, representing and supporting over 5,500 individuals across the UK and overseas. Established in 1898, CIWM is a non-profit making organisation, dedicated to the promotion of professional competence amongst waste managers. CIWM seeks to raise standards for those working in and with the sector by producing best practice guidance, developing educational and training initiatives, and providing information on key waste-related issues. More information can be found at ciwm.co.uk.

The WasteAid Zero Waste Cities Challenge, taking place in Johannesburg, Ho Chi Minh City and Guwahati, has reached a climax with the announcement of the six winners. These grassroots circular economy innovations will be awarded €10,000 each, plus business mentoring and support to help bring their ideas to life.

Part of the WasteAid Circular Economy Network in South Africa, Vietnam and India, with funding from Huhtamaki, the Zero Waste Cities Challenge attracted over 100 innovative ideas to make cities more resourceful and liveable. 12 entrepreneurs in each city reached the shortlist, and have undergone an eight-week business mentoring programme with local industry specialists to perfect their pitches.

After being whittled down to five finalists, the two ultimate winners in each location were selected by panels of esteemed judges.

Johannesburg, South Africa

The Judges

Douw Steyn, Director of Sustainability, Plastics Federation of SA

Anele Sololo, Chairperson, National Recycling Forum

Ntokozo Majola, Executive Manager, Seda

Camilo Ramada, Senior Advisor, Business Finland

The winners in Johannesburg

Bokashi Bran

Bokashi Bran has a vision to produce the highest quality bokashi to divert food waste from landfill sites. Bokashi Bran is a mix of microbes that accelerates the composting / fermenting process, enabling all types of food waste to be returned back to the natural environment.

This Johannesburg-based enterprise is planning to create a network of entrepreneurs to increase levels of recovery and reuse of food waste, reducing reliance on landfill and preventing climate change emissions.

BoombaDotMobi

BoombaDotMobi collects organic waste from its paying customers and the wider community to transform it into compost. This is achieved through black soldier fly composting, vermicomposting and heat composting. The team then sells the quality compost product back to local farmers and their community.

With its prize money, Boombadotmobi is planning to prevent illegal waste dumping through education, and with the provision of an material recovery facility for sorting waste for recycling and composting from richer and poorer neighbourhoods in Johannesburg.

Guwahati, India

The Judges

Sumit Jugran, Sustainability and CSR Manager, Tetra Pak

Sanjib Bezbaroa, Vice President: Corporate EHS, ITC Ltd

Gautam Mehra, Deputy Team Leader of Circular Economy Solutions, Giz India

The winners in Guwahati

Inside Out

Guwahati is home to Dipor Bil, the only internationally protected wetland site in Assam, and home to many endangered species. The lake is under threat from the neighbouring dumpsite, and the invasive water hyacinth, a weed that is notorious for creating ecological imbalance.

The Inside Out duo have developed a way to make paper, fibreboard and crafts from water hyacinth, reducing the need for wood pulp and providing employment opportunities. They will use the award to employ 23 local people, including inskilled labourers for waste collection, and semi-skilled labourers for processing.

Shree Guru Plastics

Shree Guru Plastics collects and purchases low value contaminated plastic, which is often left out from the recycling chain and ends up in dumpsites, ​and recycles it to produce thin film that can be used as damp course in home construction. ​The demand for this product is high in Northeast India, and Guwahati is a distribution hub.

Already an established business, Shree Guru Plastics is planning to use this award to increase the capacity of its facility in Guwahati, through better use of technology. With the funding, the small business can nearly double its capacity from 11 tonnes to 19 tonnes of low value plastics per month, and will be able to provide employment for 15 more women and 7 more waste collectors.​

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The Judges

Sam Wood, Deputy Head, British Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City

Uyen Mai, South East Asia Sustainability Leader, Dow Chemical

Matteo Chiampo, Director of Operations, SecondMuse Singapore

Klaus Oberbauer, Programme Manager, SecondMuse Singapore

The winners in Ho Chi Minh City

VECA

VECA is a mobile app that connects scrap collectors, sellers and dealers, supporting the sale of recyclable waste with complete transparency on prices. The app is revolutionising the way informal waste pickers work and helping to divert huge amounts of waste from landfill.

They have successfully piloted their approach in Ho Chi Minh, have over 20,000 users and work with 7 waste collectors who have all increased their income through connecting to the app.  ​​

With the prize money, VECA aims to increase their users to 100,000 and waste collector network to 75 and the number of scrap yards to 75. As a result it is estimated 5.7 tonnes of recyclables per day will be collected that otherwise would have ended up at landfill. ​

University of Economics

Based in Ho Chi Minh City, the University of Economics has a goal to build the first zero waste university, through the adoption of The Three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) and by running campaigns to raise awareness as well as to encourage behavioural change across the community on campus.

Key activities include the set up of an materials recovery facility on campus to recover organic waste, plastics and other valuables as well as an education platform with rewards for behaviour change.

WasteAid would like to extend its gratitude to all of the judges, and to congratulate all the winners of the Zero Waste Cities Challenge!

Written by Zoë Lenkiewicz

WasteAid, the UK-based international NGO that shares waste management and recycling skills with policymakers and communities in lower- and middle-income countries, has welcomed three new Trustees to its Board. Between them, they bring a wealth of experience in government, international development, humanitarian programmes, and water and sanitation.

Claudio Deola is a Senior Humanitarian WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) Advisor at Save the Children where he currently coordinates the global humanitarian WASH response. He has almost 20 years of practical experience in the WASH sector, both in direct implementation and in remote support. He has worked with different types of organisations in multicultural environments, in large scale operations and in complex emergencies as well as in early recovery. He has a sound academic grounding in engineering and humanitarian assistance, having completed a MSc in Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering and a MA in Humanitarian Aid. He has a strong commitment to impact effectiveness in humanitarian assistance, and is currently co-chairing the Global WASH Roadmap 2020-2025.

“I’m absolutely thrilled and honoured to become part of the board of trustees. I believe WasteAid’s mission is a crucial one that can improve the health and quality of life of many people and bring more visibility to an overlooked problem. Having just joined the board, I am already incredibly impressed by the work WasteAid is doing and by the commitment, energy and passion of its staff.”

Enzo Martinelli is an international development professional who has been working for over 30 years with international NGOs based in the UK, Italy and Germany, where he has gained expertise in organisational development, resource mobilisation, programme development and project management. Enzo’s areas of interest are quite diverse and encompass community-based interventions in small business development and microfinance, formal and adult education, human rights protection, freedom of press, media development and environmental protection.

Enzo Martinelli said: “Environmental protection and waste management are critical elements in mitigating climate change risks. Within this context, WasteAid commitment to the promotion of more sustainable practices and policies around waste management is very laudable. I am honoured to have had the opportunity to join their Board of Trustees at a time of exponential growth for the organisation, which is a clear signal of the urgency for such interventions and of the great demand for greater impact for this work worldwide.”

Deborah Sacks has worked in the waste management industry for over twenty years, in both the public and private sectors. Since 2010 she has run a waste management consultancy that focuses on work with local and central government identifying the steps needed to improve waste management performance within the UK and other countries around the world.

Deborah has also been on the board of a number of different charities in the UK and brings extensive experience to WasteAid in both the UK and abroad.

Chair of the WasteAid Board Sarahjane Widdowson said: “We’re pleased to welcome Deborah, Enzo and Claudio and look forward to strengthening our board with their diverse skills and experience. We’d also like to say a big thank you to our two outgoing trustees Rachel Wildblood and Ray Georgeson, who were founder members of the board. WasteAid continues to make an impact on an important and yet often overlooked area, and the board are ready to support our fantastic staff to continue their impressive work in raising awareness of this important issue and scaling the organisation to amplify our impact.”

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, is taking place in Glasgow this November. WasteAid has been collaborating with partners to put waste management on the agenda.

1 in 3 people globally do not have their waste collected, and so have to dump or burn their waste nearby. The impacts are huge – affecting childhood development, spreading disease, and contributing to marine plastic pollution and climate emissions.

Implementing a waste collection service is also good for climate resilience. Keeping plastic waste out of drains reduces flood risk, while composting food waste helps farmers in drought-prone areas to protect their soil.

For these reasons, WasteAid is advocating for climate finance to be directed towards waste management.

Explore our Waste & Climate hub

Join WasteAid and partners at COP26

8 Nov: Panel discussion – A wasted opportunity: open burning of waste causes a climate and health calamity

9 Nov: Panel discussion – The case for mitigating black carbon – climate and health co-benefits

10 Nov: Exclusive journalists’ roundtable – Collaborating across the value chain for climate action

11 Nov: KEYNOTE EVENT – Panel discussion – The burning issue? Waste, climate, health and development

Scroll down for details

A wasted opportunity: open burning of waste causes a climate and health calamity

Monday 8 November

1.15pm – 2.30pm and live streamed (recording available).

Multimedia Studio 2

An official side event at COP26, WasteAid will feature alongside partners from the International Solid Waste Association, Engineering X (Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd’s Register Foundation), UN Habitat and more.

Hear diverse voices discussing the climate and health impacts of open burning, and examples of positive change from around the world.

The Case for Mitigating Black Carbon – Climate and Health Co-Benefits

Tuesday 9 November

5.00pm – 6.00pm

WHO Pavilion and live streamed.

How communities make the connection between the public health and climate benefits of mitigating waste emissions.

Effective strategies for reducing Black Carbon emissions from the waste sector, and how these can support Nationally Determined Contributions.

Techniques for reducing Black Carbon emissions, from ending open burning to closing dumpsites.

Strategies for ending open burning of waste, and tools to assess the benefits of mitigation strategies.

Where can governments start? Who can they call? What toolbox do they need?

Hosted by ABT Associates

Speakers:

Zoë Lenkiewicz, Senior Technical Advisor and Head of Communications, WasteAid

Carlos RV Silva Filho, President of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA)

Dr Pierpaulo Mudu, World Health Organisation (WHO)

Exclusive: Journalists’ Roundtable with WasteAid and Huhtamaki

Wednesday 10 November

3.30pm – 4.30pm

Online

In advance of the scheduled panel discussion on 11 November, WasteAid and Huhtamaki are offering journalists the opportunity to join a roundtable discussion.

WasteAid and Huhtamaki have been working together since 2020 to help accelerate a circular economy, through the WasteAid Circular Economy Network.

The Zero Waste Cities Challenge, in Ho Chi Minh City, Johannesburg and Guwahati has enabled grassroots innovators and entrepreneurs to develop circular economy solutions in their cities. See the winners!

Find out more about the approaches taken by WasteAid and Huhtamaki to delivering climate action through a circular economy.

Journalists: please contact us on media@wasteaid.org

KEYNOTE EVENT: The Burning Issue? Waste, Climate, Health and Development

Thursday 11 November

10.00am – 11.30am

The Studio, 67 Hope St, Glasgow G2 6AE (outside the secure zone) and live streamed.

For a circular economy to flourish, all actors in the global value chain need to be equipped and empowered – from designing sustainable packaging to keep food safe from farm to fork, to implementing waste collection systems that bring social value.

Join us in Glasgow to hear how global leaders are delivering climate action through an inclusive, circular economy.

This is a free, public event. To attend in person, please register here.

Ceris Turner-Bailes – Chief Executive, WasteAid (sponsoring organisation)

H.E. Mr. Lamin B. Dibba – Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources of The Gambia

Maurice Golden MSP – Member of the Scottish Parliament and Convenor of Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Circular Economy

Charles Héaulmé – President and Chief Executive, Huhtamaki

Ryan Shorthouse – Director, Bright Blue (chair)

TOGETHER FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT 

Written by Zoë Lenkiewicz

Team Zumo gets involved in support of partner charity WasteAid

This article was written by Daniel Taylor, Lead Content Marketeer at Zumo, and was first published on the Zumo website.

One team, one goal: On Sunday 3 October, members of the Zumo team from across the UK joined together to fundraise for our partner charity WasteAid and show their support for the vital work WasteAid is doing to tackle the problems of waste management and climate change.

As well as a 16.5-mile fundraising and awareness walk starting and finishing at Zumo HQ in Edinburgh, team members across the country have been completing their own fundraising challenges, and all in all we hope to contribute a team total of £5,000 to WasteAid by the end of the year.

With one in three people worldwide forced to dump or burn their waste – causing disease, polluting the oceans, and contributing to the global climate crisis – it’s a cause that has been close to our hearts, and we hope you’ll join us in helping WasteAid continue their great work to protect our planet.

Donations are still open on our JustGiving page – we’re getting tantalisingly close to our target so please do consider making a donation if you can!

If you prefer, you can also donate by text – simply text ZUMO followed by your donation amount to 70085.

Spreading the word

Spurred on by a sun almost as yellow as the Zumo ducks, the Zumo fundraising and awareness walk, which took in a 16.5-mile loop of Edinburgh and city, was a huge success, with a lot of good conversations had along the way and a very encouraging amount of engagement from the public along the route. From Stockbridge to Leith, from Holyrood Park to Edinburgh Old Town, we hope we’ve played our small part in increasing awareness of the great work WasteAid is doing around the world.

As a company, we’re immensely proud to support WasteAid and its mission. Those who have followed us on our journey so far will know that we feel as passionately about protecting and nurturing our environment as we do about cryptocurrency. Our mission is to bring the benefits of crypto to everyone, whilst protecting the future of our planet: to play our part and set an example that we can all be proud of.

Ceris Turner-Bailes, WasteAid CEO, said: “We are grateful to the Zumo team for their superb fundraising activities, part of the company’s longer-term support to WasteAid. From reducing climate emissions to protecting the oceans and public health, waste management is a vital yet often overlooked area. Zumo is helping raise awareness and funds to support better waste management where it’s most needed.”

Rest assured, we’re not stopping here: we’ll continue to keep raising funds for WasteAid and we’ll keep working to progress and practically contribute to the sustainability conversation in our own sector.

We’ve got some more extremely exciting announcements coming soon, so watch this space!

WasteAid’s Circular Economy Network has announced the finalists of its Zero Waste Cities Challenge, an innovation competition for green entrepreneurs in Johannesburg, Ho Chi Minh City and Guwahati.

The competition was launched to find grassroots solutions to resource efficiency, waste collection and recycling in South Africa, Vietnam and India.

More than 100 small business owners, social entrepreneurs and product innovators entered the competition, which will eventually see the top six awarded €10,000 prize money and business mentoring to bring their ideas to life.

Following an eight-week business bootcamp, 12 semi-finalists in each hub pitched their circular economy business concepts to panels of esteemed judges, and the most promising 15 have now been selected.

Finalists in Johannesburg, South Africa

Bokashi Bran

Bokashi Bran has a vision to produce the highest quality bokashi to divert food waste from landfill sites. Bokashi is a composting technique that enables all types of food waste to be returned back to the natural environment. Using the bokashi system saves landfill space and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 98%.

BoombaDotMobi

BoombaDotMobi collects organic waste from its paying customers and the wider community to transform it into compost. This is achieved through black soldier fly composting, vermicomposting and heat composting. The team then sells the quality compost product back to local farmers and their community.

Carbon Footprint Recycling

Carbon Footprint Recycling focuses on niche solutions for non-recyclable printer cartridges. Most cartridges end up in landfills and become hazardous. The team diverts, collects and dismantles them. The mild steel and aluminium are traded to recyclers while other materials are reused to make concrete-based products.

Makhabisi Recycling

Makhabisi Recycling & Trading is a 100% black and female-owned company that collects dry recyclables in Johannesburg, diverting them from landfill and prolonging their value. The company aims to drive awareness, educate the community and create a more sustainable environment for local people.

Tash The Recycling Guy

Tash The Recycling Guy was born out of the Tshwane innovation challenge for local students. Their entry to the semi-finals was focused on a small, modular machine that compresses plastic waste to reduce its volume, allowing for easy and efficient transport to a recycling facility.

Judging panel in Johannesburg

Douw Steyn, Director of Sustainability, Plastics Federation of SA

Anele Sololo, Chairperson, National Recycling Forum

Ntokozo Majola, Executive Manager, Seda

Camilo Ramada, Senior Advisor, Business Finland

The final round will be held virtually on 21 October, 2021.

Finalists in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Green Connect

Green Connect has created a mobile app, Green Points, which uses gamification to make green living easier and more enjoyable. The app incentivises people to take green actions, such as recycling or using less plastic, rewarding them with a virtual currency that can be exchanged for a range of benefits or donated to charity.

Papa’s Dreamer

Papa’s Dreamer is a brand that is creating a green value chain for shower and hygiene products, cutting down poisonous wastewater released into the environment in the process. The team are guided by their ethical production principles, including setting a daily limit of production and avoiding nylon as well as plastic.

Rechic

In Vietnam, secondhand marketplaces do not exist. At the same time, 70% millennials prefer eco fashion, yet 43% admit to throwing an item away after just one use. Rechic aims to be Vietnam’s first pre-loved fashion marketplace, curbing consumption habits and keeping clothing in use for longer.

University of Economics

Based in Ho Chi Minh City, the University of Economics has a goal to build the first zero waste university. How? Through the adoption of The Three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) and by running campaigns to raise awareness as well as to encourage behavioural change across the community on campus.

Veca

Veca is a mobile app that connects scrap sellers and dealers on Android and iOS platforms, supporting the scale of waste proactively and with complete transparency on prices. Through the innovation, the team are revolutionising the way informal waste pickers work and helping to divert huge amounts of waste from landfills.

Judging panel in Ho Chi Minh City

Sam Wood, Deputy Head, British Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City

Uyen Mai, South East Asia Sustainability Leader, Dow Chemical

Matteo Chiampo, Director of Operations, SecondMuse Singapore

Klaus Oberbauer, Programme Manager, SecondMuse Singapore

The final round will be held virtually on 19 October, 2021.

Finalists in Guwahati, India

Golden Feathers

Golden Feathers diverts chicken feather waste from reaching the landfill and converts it into fibre that can be used to make insulation material and handloom apparels. The work already provides better economic and social opportunities for more than two hundred tribal women in India.

Inside Out

Hailed as the most troublesome weed in the world, water hyacinth is notorious in Guwahati for creating ecological imbalance and waste. The Inside Out duo have found a way to make paper out of the weed in the only wetland state of Assam, reducing the need for wood pulp. Crafts are also made from the weed.

Ittisha Sarah

Founder of the Northeast Waste Collective, Ittisha Sarah is finding ways to ensure the safe recycling of printed circuit boards. Her innovation is aimed at integrating the formal and informal sector in e-waste management. The idea will also contribute to securing the livelihoods of the informal workforce.

Midway Journey

Midway Journey is seeking to scale its already successful pilot project, Power of 300, which collects and recycles dry waste from 300 households in exchange for a fee while supporting the informal waste sector. The team has a goal to serve 3,000 households, aiming to collect 15 tonnes of recyclable waste every month.

Shree Guru Plastics

Already an established business, Shree Guru Plastics is looking to increase the recycling capacity of its facility in Guwahati. How? Through use of better technology to extend the life of low value and contaminated plastics – which are often left out from the recycling chain and end up in the city’s only waste disposal site.

Judging panel in Guwahati

Sumit Jugran, Sustainability and CSR Manager, Tetra Pak

Sanjib Bezbaroa, Vice President: Corporate EHS, ITC Ltd

Gautam Mehra, Deputy Team Leader of Circular Economy Solutions, Giz India

The final round will be held virtually on 20 October, 2021.

Congratulations to all the finalists, and our thanks to all the business mentors for helping them become pitch-ready!

WasteAid would also like to extend our gratitude to the esteemed judges in each of the three cities, who will be selecting the final winners.

Please follow the WasteAid Circular Economy Network on LinkedIn and Twitter for the latest updates.

The Zero Waste Cities Challenge is part of WasteAid’s Circular Economy Network, funded by Huhtamaki.

Written by Zoë Lenkiewicz