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…Greener Way’s latest effort to tackle waste
YK Podell
There’s money in the trash! We’ve heard it many times. But without much cash, this move to make money from trash could help ease the burden of our growing trash problem.
Greener Way recently opened a trash bank where anyone can put their trash in and take out cash. The World Bank provided $1.5 million in support for the Bhutan Trash Bank, which opened on April 18.
The concept is simple. Anyone can drop off their solid waste at the nearest waste disposal centre and get a tax on their waste. 25 Ngultrum per kg for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, 20 Ngultrum per kg for low density plastics (LDPS) and all other waste.
According to the person in charge of Greener Way, the project mainly includes three activities: the waste recycling economy, namely the waste collection stage, the eco-pole production and the pet shredding stage.
“This initiative will motivate people, promote behavioural change, enhance gender-inclusive socio-economic empowerment and increase participation at the household level,” the official said.
Greener Way was founded in 2010 and launched a material recovery facility in 2018, before starting production of eco-poles in 2019 and boundary markers from 2023.
Bhutan is one of the fastest urbanizing countries in South Asia. By 2047, Bhutan’s urbanization rate is expected to reach 56.8%. The project is expected to divert approximately 422 tons of plastic waste from entering landfills. This initiative is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1,266 tons per year.
This initiative is made possible by the Plastic Free Rivers and Seas South Asia grant.
The implementation of the project will be supervised by the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme, with support from the United Nations Office for Project Services.
Meanwhile, in Thimphu, the amount of waste disposed of at landfills in 2021 increased by about 4,800 metric tons compared to 2019. In 2019, a total of about 14,824.8 metric tons of waste was disposed of, of which 13% was plastic waste.
Each household generates more than 80 tons of solid waste every day, 51% of which comes from urban areas.
The government’s ‘Zero Waste Bhutan’ app tracks waste-related violations. So far, it has recorded 436 violations and 369 incidents of waste-related problems.
Looking ahead
A recent World Bank report titled “Country Environmental Analysis of Bhutan: Advancing a Green Growth Agenda” highlights a major problem. Bhutan lacks adequate waste management solutions, such as proper sanitary landfill infrastructure or waste-to-energy facilities.
The 13th Five-Year Plan emphasizes achieving long-term goals of reducing landfill, recycling waste, and promoting the recycling value chain. “The focus should be on developing a circular economy – developing an integrated waste management industry.”
The Waste Flagship Initiative began with a national waste inventory survey in 2019, paving the way for other initiatives such as the Bhutan Zero Waste website, incorporating eco-notes into school education, and the procurement of an incinerator and a biogas facility in Memelaka.
According to a 2020 survey by the National Bureau of Statistics, plastic waste and paper waste in Bhutan accounted for 17.1% and 15.8% respectively.
In Bhutan, a plastics ban imposed in 1999 remains largely ineffective. The National Environment Committee issued a notification on January 14, 2019 to strengthen the plastics ban. It, too, is ineffective.
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