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Urban Development(Solid waste management)

Colombia

  • Garbage Separation PlantGarbage Separation Plant
  • Third Country Training in Santiago, ChileThird Country Training in Santiago, Chile
  • Training and Diaglogue Program in Mie Prefecture, JapanTraining and Diaglogue Program in Mie Prefecture, Japan
Title Master Plan Study for Integrated Solid Waste Management in Bogota D.C.
Period March 2012 – January 2013, February 2013 – November 2013
Funded by JICA

Due to rapid urbanization, proper waste management is an important challenge in Bogota District Capital. Bogota D.C. developed a master plan for integrated solid waste management (PMIRS) in 2006 and is working to achieve its goals. However, because of an increasing population (said to be 8 million) and changing lifestyles, a gap between PMIRS and the actual situation has arisen. Under these circumstances, the Columbian government requested the Japanese government to provide technical assistance to formulate a master plan on solid waste management, and to revise PMIRS and define the roles of various stakeholders in order to bridge the gap.

Our experts are implementing the technical cooperation project in response to this request in order to:

  • 1. Formulate a master plan for sustainable and proper solid waste management in Bogota, and
  • 2. Enhance the capacity of waste management provider (UAESP) in policy planning and implementation of solid waste management by means of utilization, monitoring and evaluation of the master plan.

Fiji, Tonga, and Kiribati

Title Japanese Technical Cooperation Project for Promotion of Regional Initiative on Solid Waste Management in Pacific Island Countries (J-PRISM)
Period June 2011 – March 2014
Funded by JICA

This is a regional cooperation project for Pacific Island countries based on the Regional Cooperative Framework. The project aims to realize an appropriate and sustainable solid waste management (SWM) system and enhance regional and national capacity for SWM based on the Pacific Regional Solid Waste Management Strategy and National Solid Waste Management Strategy which were developed and/or drafted at national level.

Our waste management experts are carrying out the project in Fiji, Tonga, and Kiribati to achieve the following project purpose and outputs:

Project Purpose: To strengthen human and institutional capabilities related to solid waste management in 11 countries in the Pacific Region through implementation of Pacific Regional Solid Waste Management Strategy,

Fiji
Output 1. Follow-up of implementation of national 3R strategy
Output 2. Training program of 3Rs is developed
Kiribati
Output 1. Home compost system and monitoring is promoted
Output 2. Compost in waste disposal site is promoted
Tonga
Output 1. The existing solid waste disposal facility and operation in Vava’u is improved.
Output 2. Solid waste collection service in Vava’u is improved.
Output 3. Framework and system for long term solid waste management in Vava’u is established.

Kosovo

  • Aging waste collection vehicles in KosovoAging waste collection vehicles in Kosovo
  • Illegally dumped waste on the road shoulderIllegally dumped waste on the road shoulder
Title Project for Improvement of Solid Waste Management / Project for Enhancement of Capacity for Waste Management toward Sound Material-Cycle Society
Period December 2010 – September 2014
Funded by JICA

Republic of Kosovo is located in the inland region of the Central Balkan Peninsula, surrounded by Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia. Originally, Kosovo was one of the provinces belonging to Serbia of the former Yugoslavia, and Kosovo declared independence on February 17, 2008. Over 90 countries including Japan out of the 193 UN members have approved its independence as of May 2012.

Kosovo is one of the least developed countries among the former Yugoslavia countries and had depended on the aid given by Yugoslavia and Serbia for many years. Therefore, the economy of Kosovo is totally reliant on donor countries. Since its independence, it has placed a high priority on economic recovery and social development, thus has paid less attention to the environment. Recently, however, it has become clear that the environment and solid waste issues in particular, are of vital importance. Consequently, Kosovo requested a grant and technical assistance to the Government of Japan.

In the grant aid program, Kokusai Kogyo provides a consulting service for the procurement of 43 collection trucks and maintenance tools. At the same time, we are conducting a technical cooperation project for the improvement of solid waste management in Prizren City, the second largest city in Kosovo.

China

Title Project for Promotion of Municipal Solid Waste Recycling
Period February 2011 – February 2015
Funded by JICA

In the People’s Republic of China, municipal waste amount is growing with rapid industrialization and urbanization, but waste management institutions and recycling systems are not yet properly developed. Inappropriate waste recycling is thought to be widespread in many cities, imposing a greater toll on both human health and the environment. This project, in close collaboration with National Development and Reform Commission, aims to promote development of a national policy and legal system for municipal waste recycling. Concrete outputs will be

to carry out policy research on municipal waste recycling at the state level, and
to promote proper management and recycling of municipal waste, food waste, packaging waste and waste tires in Guiyang, Jiaxing, Xining and Qingdao cities.

Towards these goals, at the state level, working groups were established to research management and recycling policy of municipal waste, food waste, packaging waste and waste tires by involving researchers from Japan and China. Moreover, policy research panels are being convened twice a year. In the target cities, strategic plans for the management and recycling of municipal waste and roadmaps for the recycling of food waste, packaging waste and waste tires are being prepared. Also, several pilot projects are going to be carried out in the four cities to trial practical ways of improving their recycling rate.

Brazil

  • Manaus City's final disposal site where industrial waste is disposedManaus City’s final disposal site where industrial waste is disposed
Title Study for the Development of an Integrated Solution Related to Industrial Waste Management in the Industrial Pole of Manaus
Period February 2008 – August 2010
Funded by JICA

Manaus Free Zone (MFZ), located in Manaus City, northern Brazil, is one of the largest manufacturing centers of the country, and also includes several Japanese manufacturers. Factories are required to take responsibility for their environmental management, including industrial waste management in particular. However, besides large corporations, there is inadequate interest in environmental conservation. Also, in spite of a comprehensive set of laws and regulations on industrial waste management, they are not effectively enforced due to a lack of knowledge of local authorities.

Under such circumstances, the Superintendency of the Manaus Free Trade Zone (SUFRAMA) recognized that it was necessary to construct an appropriate industrial waste management system and develop infrastructure to attract more companies to and for the economic growth of the MFZ in an environmentally sustainable manner.

With this goal in mind, Kokusai Kogyo’s consulting team conducted this study. We carefully reviewed the current conditions of industrial waste management in the MFZ and the surrounding area, and formulated a master plan for industrial waste management (five-year plan from 2011 to 2015) and guidelines for the improvement of industrial waste management.

Fiji

Title Waste Minimization and Recycling Promotion Project
Period September 2008 – March 2012
Funded by JICA

In Fiji, an island state in the Pacific, most daily commodities are imported from industrialized nations & end up in the garbage after use. Even though the amount of waste has been increasing as the standard of living improves, it has been difficult to secure sufficient land for waste disposal, in part due to geography as an island nation. As such, solid waste management is recognized as “one of the most urgent but difficult issues” Fiji faces.

Recognizing the importance of appropriate waste management, the government of Fiji adopted the Environmental Management Act in 2005 & the National Solid Waste Management Strategy & Action Plan 2008-2010. To achieve its policies on waste management, Fiji requested technical cooperation from Japan in August 2005 for this project on waste minimization & recycling promotion in Lautoka City & Nadi Town.

Department of Environment, Health Department of the two local councils, & Kokusai Kogyo’s consultants jointly worked to achieve the following project purpose & 5 outputs.

Project Purpose
Capacity of 3Rs of Department of Environment, Lautoka City and Nadi Town is increased through developing 3R model for Fiji.
Output 1
Solid Waste Management Plans focusing on the 3Rs are developed in Lautoka City and Nadi Town respectively.
Output 2
Lautoka City and Nadi Town obtain the capacity for proper Solid Waste Management (SWM) through the implementation of Pilot Projects.
Output 3
Lautoka City and Nadi Town obtain the capacity for 3R promotion activities in the whole area of Lautoka City and Nadi Town.
Output 4
Awareness of residents in Lautoka City and Nadi Town is raised through implementation of environmental education activities on 3R promotion.
Output 5
3R model for Fiji is developed and recommended.

You can read more about the project here.

Sri Lanka

  • Compost plant and final disposal site built in MataraCompost plant and final disposal site built in Matara
  • Compost plant built in NawalapitiyaCompost plant built in Nawalapitiya
Title The Study on Improvement of Solid Waste Management in Secondary Cities / Capacity Upgrading Project for the National Solid Waste Management Support Center
Period March 2002 – December 2003, March 2007 – February 2011
Funded by JICA

In secondary cities in Sri Lanka, solid waste was not being properly managed, causing serious problems related to health, sanitation, and the environment. In the study, we prepared national strategies for solid waste management and guidelines for improving solid waste management in these cities according to their financial and technical capabilities.

Pilot projects including the improvement of collection services, sanitation education, the upgrading of final disposal sites, and waste reduction were also conducted in seven model towns: Negombo, Chilaw, Gampaha, Kandy, Matale, Nuwara Eliya, and Badulla. Through that process, we helped decision makers and relevant persons in each village understand the concept and methods of solid waste management. Through the study, it was recognized that it would be necessary to strengthen the function of the central government as the advisory body for the local cities to improve solid waste management at the city level.

Thus, a new project was started by Kokusai Kogyo, entrusted by JICA, aiming at the empowerment of the National Solid Waste Management Support Center, a newly established arm of the Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government. To read more about this project, visit JICA’s site.

Dominican Republic

  • Poster made by the project to instruct methods of storing and discharging household waste.Poster made by the project to instruct methods of storing and discharging household waste.
Title The Study for Integrated Management of Urban Solid Waste in Santo Domingo / Project for Appropriate Waste Management in Santo Domingo de Guzman
Period July 2005–September 2011
Funded by JICA

Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic occupying the Eastern part of La Española Island, has a population of about 1.5 million. Its residents generate 1.26 kg/day/capita of waste, which is comparable to the waste generation rate in developed countries. The waste is collected by both the local authority and commissioned private operators, but the absence of a waste collection plan often results in waste left on curbsides for several days, which spoils the city landscape. Due to the lack of defined service areas for the local authority and private operators, some parts of the city have overlapping service while others receive no service at all. Santo Domingo and its neighboring cities rely on a final disposal site in the north of Santo Domingo, although the site is not operated under sanitary conditions. This study was carried out in order to formulate a master plan with a target year of 2015 to solve the aforementioned issues and to strengthen the waste management capacity of Santo Domingo city hall.

During the course of the study, Kokusai Kogyo also undertook several pilot projects to ensure the practicality of the master plan and to demonstrate technical know-how of waste management. One of the pilot projects aimed to improve waste collection. In a target area with about 160,000 residents, Kokusai Kogyo and counterparts from city hall established a new, rational waste collection system and achieved substantial results, such as a 15% increase in the hourly collection amount. In another pilot project, using a medical complex as the model site, Kokusai Kogyo facilitated the introduction of a system to properly separate, collect and treat hospital waste to replace the common practice of handling infectious wastes—including used syringes and bloodstained gauze-together with general wastes. After witnessing the results of our consulting services, the Health Minister and the Environment Minister recognized the positive result of the project and have taken the initiative to replicate the system in other medical facilities.

JICA started a technical assistance project in October 2009 aiming at the concrete implementation of the aforementioned master plan, and Kokusai Kogyo’s consultants have been working with local counterparts towards this goal.

Mongolia

  • New waste landfill in Ulaanbaatar developed by Japanese grant aidNew waste landfill in Ulaanbaatar developed by Japanese grant aid
Title The Study for the Solid Waste Management Plan in Ulaanbaatar City / the Basic Design of the Project for Improvement of Waste Management in Ulaanbaatar City
Period November 2004 – September 2012
Funded by JICA, Japanese Grant Aid

At present, Ulaanbaatar City faces various problems caused by improper solid waste management including inefficiencies in collection work, a shortage and/or obsolescence of collection vehicles and unsanitary final disposal practices. To optimize solid waste management and assist with capacity development of Mongolian officials, Kokusai Kogyo developed a master plan, and undertook feasibility studies and pilot projects.

Due to its cold and dry climate and distinctive socio-cultural background, Ulaanbaatar differs in many respects to other developing countries where we had most of our experience. Therefore, we had to face new challenges such as the huge amounts of ash generated from home heating in winter, little occurrence of landfill leachate, and the large gap between urban area lifestyles where apartment buildings are concentrated and suburban areas where traditional houses known as “Gers” are scattered over a broad area. After carefully analyzing the situation, we worked out a waste management master plan based on a waste hierarchy policy that emphasized waste reduction, reuse and recycling, to dispose of the wastes in a sustainable manner.

Furthermore, we carried out several pilot projects such as (i) operational improvement of the existing waste dump site, (ii) production of refuse derived fuel (RDF) and mixed combustion testing of RDF with coal at a heating plant to see the effects on the exhaust gas and combustion efficiency, and (iii) experimental introduction of a waste discharge rule to separately collect paper and plastic wastes to supply RDF production. All of these attempts were considered valid and were integrated into the master plan.

Kokusai Kogyo, intending to develop the waste management capacity of the city, also actively supported the establishment of a new organization, City Maintenance and Public Utility Agency, which has the major responsibility for waste management, and setup a Waste Pickers Fund to enable the waste pickers to help each other.

Furthermore, Japanese grant assistance was approved for the implementation of part of the priority projects, namely the construction of a new waste disposal site, the procurement of waste collection vehicles and heavy machinery for waste disposal and the improvement of the operation of the waste disposal site in cooperation with the waste pickers. These were successfully completed under the supervision of Kokusai Kogyo

n 2009, a technical assistance project started aiming at human resources development of waste management authorities in Ulaanbaatar. Kokusai Kogyo has been engaged in technical transfer in the six components namely planning, operation and maintenance of machinery, final disposal management, financial management, awareness raising and recycling.

Cambodia

  • A child scavenging for valuable materials at the final disposal site in CambodiaA child scavenging for valuable materials at the final disposal site in Cambodia
Title The Study on Solid Waste Management in the Municipality of Phnom Penh
Period February 2003 – March 2005
Funded by JICA

Solid waste management of Phnom Penh City, the capital of Cambodia, was riddled with a number of problems. The duties of all the organizations responsible for solid waste management, including the city authority, a public corporation and a private concessionaire, were not clear, resulting in low work efficiency. Uncollected waste was scattered along the streets, spoiling the city’s landscape. The final disposal site, which had been used since the 1960s, was merely a huge waste pile, where many waste pickers, including children, were making a living by scavenging for materials despite the dangerous work conditions.

In the study, Kokusai Kogyo developed a master plan for the step-by-step improvement of solid waste management by the year 2015, which outlined a number of issues such as role distinction among concerned organizations, a decrease in uncollected waste, and the construction and operation of a new final disposal site. In addition, we carried out several pilot projects together with the Cambodian counterpart, giving emphasis to the importance of capacity development, which is necessary for the master plan to be implemented.

One of the pilot projects aimed to provide waste collection services in a model area where waste was not collected because the roads were too narrow for the waste vehicles. In cooperation with an NGO, former waste pickers were organized as waste collectors, and they started a waste collection service using pushcarts. They go door-to-door, collecting and depositing waste in a container installed near the main road. A public corporation then hauls the container to the final disposal site. We involved the households in the model area during the planning stage and thoroughly discussed a fee collection system to be put in place so that the waste collection service could be financially sustained.

Panama

  • Pilot project of paper recycling at a school in PanamaPilot project of paper recycling at a school in Panama
Title The Study on Solid Waste Management Plan for Municipality of Panama
Period November 2001 – March 2003, January 2007 – January 2010
Funded by JICA

Based on a 1999 legislative amendment, responsibility for solid waste management in Panama City, the nation’s capital, was transferred from the central government to the municipality. However, the Municipality of Panama faces various problems such as lack of a solid waste management plan, a shortage of human resources, and inefficient waste management. The objective of the study was to formulate a solid waste management master plan targeting the year 2015. Feasibility studies were also conducted on priority projects such as the construction of a new final disposal site and the introduction of a transfer and transport system. In addition, pilot projects were conducted for collection improvement, separate collection, upgrading of an existing final disposal site, construction of a database for solid waste management, environmental education, and introduction of a system for communicating with residents in order to develop the municipality’s capacity to provide waste services.

After our study, the Municipality of Panama worked autonomously on the enhancement of the waste collection service and the expansion of the final disposal site as planned in the master plan. The municipality, however, did not have ready access to the technical know-how for certain issues, such as the rearrangement of waste collection routes, introduction of the transfer station, full-scale expansion of the final disposal site and contracting out of service delivery to the private sector, and thus the technical assistance project was started by JICA.

Kokusai Kogyo dispatched its experts to the project and assisted its counterpart in Panama to implement the project.

Mexico

Title The Study on the Management of Sanitation Environment in the Coast of Quintana Roo State
Period February 2003 – November 2004
Funded by JICA

Along the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, many ethnic minorities depend on the abundant natural resources to make their living. Also, being rich in historical assets, this area is important for the tourist industry, which is a vital source of foreign currency for Mexico. In the process of developing the tourist industry, however, little attention has been paid to the environment and the population in this area has been growing rapidly. Consequently, the negative effects of wastewater and solid waste on the environment has grown to be a serious concern.

In this project, Kokusai Kogyo developed a master plan for management of the sanitary environment aiming at the preservation of the coastal environment. Targets were set for BOD discharge originating from wastewater at 3,100 tons/year or less for 2015, and that originating from solid waste was set at 2,100 tons/year or less. Also, the improvement of sewer service coverage and the strengthening of solid waste management were incorporated in the master plan.

We also attempted to verify the effectiveness of certain components of the master plan in an experimental manner. For instance, in order to promote the connection of in-house drainage to the public sewer, environmental education was provided to the residents and a fund was established to provide financial assistance. In one model area, we developed a system to assess solid waste collection, which then enabled the local authority to optimize waste collection routes.