The green jobs in wastepaper recycling project is a climate-positive project aimed at innovating solid waste management through prevention and reduction of wastes from entering to mounting landfills, recycling, and upcycling into new markable products. Complementing and scaling up the preexisting interventions, the project will reuse waste papers and cardboards to produce egg tray through an inclusive, green, and sustainable livelihood solutions by engaging women, youth and vulnerable groups.
? Reuse waste papers and cardboards
By 2034: the project will contribute toward a decade-long goal of saving 35,000 trees and avoiding 2300 tones of GHG emission; upcycle over 2.1 million metric tons of waste paper into 24 million pulp egg trays including other pulp products; created employment for over 20 young people; and reinvested about 50% of the surplus in youth development programs. The project proposes to replicate and catalyze on past interventions by enhancing existing production
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capacity and capability, and manufacturing innovative pulp products including egg trays.
The project also directly aligns to the national and dzongkhag key development objectives of enhancing waste management and local economy development (National Key Result Areas: 2, 4,6, & 11); and globally to three key SDGs: 11 (sustainable cities and communities), and 13 (climate action).
The project will be implemented in Wangdue. Waste issue and poultry business are increasing in Punakha, Tsirang, Thimphu, Gasa, Dagana and Wangdue. And, these dzongkhags have protected areas, namely Jigme Dorji National Park, Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, Ramsar site (Khotakha) and biological corridors. Youth and women will be directly engaged as employees (10 people) and waste handlers in the operations and waste collection/sourcing respectively.
The sale proceeds will be reinvested back in the business and youth development projects of the YDF ?? such as Thimphu Thromde recreational park leased to YDF (redevelopment), green innovation and youth venture creation, and My Gakidh Village school project in Toebisa.
Problem/Opportunity:
Waste prevention, recycling and upcycling are key means to reduce environmental pollution and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. With increasing population and urbanization, Bhutan faces compounding challenges of managing and treating increasing wastes. According to the Bhutan Waste Account Report 2021, paper and cardboard (recyclable waste) is the third highest (15%), which stands at 8243.7 tones per year. Mismanagement of solid waste is seriously affecting the environment and public health. This is further aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic that has resulted in a considerable increase in waste, especially medical waste, in Bhutan (UNDP,2021). Due to pandemic- imposed travel restriction and supply chain disruption, Bhutan?s export of recyclable waste to India has dropped drastically.
Against the backdrop of increasing solid wastes, paper recycling business in Bhutan has been limited and those in operations are in nascent stage that requires technical, financial and capacity enhancement support. The mounting waste papers can be reprocessed and upcycled into viable social and economic use that responds to demand from industries and businesses, for example, the Bhutan Livestock Statistics 2020 reports that there are about 800 poultry farms with production capacity of 169.2 million eggs ? hence, indicating a demand for over 5.6 million pulp egg trays. Bhutan still imports egg trays from India despite the local production, which would only aggravate the food security issue.
Beside direct employment, it will indirectly contribute towards economic diversification and growth of sustainable poultry farming.
Rationale
Paper and cardboard are the third highest waste (8243.7 tones/year) in Bhutan. Papers is the key raw material for this project and it will be sourced in collaboration with institutions, youth groups, cooperatives, and private businesses. Customarily, papers are sources from schools and large offices (corporate social responsibility), and private businesses. However, as a process innovation, the project will form youth groups and cooperatives in dzongkhags within and around where the project is set up. Similarly, these youth groups and cooperatives (opportunity of linking up with existing poultry farmers cooperatives) will be the partners for tray distribution channels.
Waste prevention and management is the priority of Bhutan's current development plan which is in line with the UN?s Sustainable Development Goals. The project also complements the RGoB?s development objectives and? the national key result areas on economic diversification and employment (2 & 11), and waste management (4 & 6).
As is the priority of the SGP Bhutan Program, the project is an urban solution to waste management, livelihood development, and conservation of biodiversity. YDF?s pulp industry experience of six years coupled with its mission of socio-economic development can leverage on existing WPRU. Papers and cardboards will be upcycled into pulp egg trays for poultry farmers through employment of about 10 young people (preferably rehabilitated drug users) and formation of about 2-3 youth groups or cooperatives for waste paper (raw material) supply and distribution of finished pulp egg trays. Protected areas and biological corridors within Wangdue and its neighboring dzongkhags (Gasa, Punakha, Tsirang, Thimphu, and Dagana) will directly and/or indirectly benefit in terms of waste management and livelihood improvement.
Solution/Result:
To counter the growing waste and shortage of egg tray problems in Bhutan, the pulp egg trays will be produced from paper and cardboards collected from communities. The project will deliver four-R solutions:
? Reuse waste papers and cardboards in pulp production,
? Reinforce the local poultry farming with stable pulp egg tray supply,
? Reduce youth unemployment, and
? Reinvest sale proceeds in youth and climate change.
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