WWF Plastic-Smart Cities (PSC): Reducing plastic leakage in cities around the world
©Vincent Kneefel I WWF NL
75%of plastic leakage in the ocean comes from uncollected waste
©Vincent Kneefel I WWF NL
Source: “Plastic Waste Inputs From Land Into The Ocean’, Jambeck et al, 2015
The countries with biggest mismanaged plastic waste issues are concentrated
in Asia. China, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam are the worst offenders
Source: The Next Wave, Investment Strategies For Plastic Free Seas, Trash Free Seas Alliance, 2017
Looking forwards to 2025, overall plastic consumption will increase by 50%.
Asia will continue to consume more plastic than all other regions put together
A majority of plastic pollution is originated in cities
which are facing significant challenges
Situation
• 80% Marine Debris is land-based leakage• 55% of the population lives in urban areas (2018), projected to rise to 68% by 2050• In developing countries, there is a direct correlation between income and plastic
consumption. On average urban areas have 10-20x disposable income as rural areas
Complication
• Systematic lack of collection and waste management, and a lack of economic incentives• Inadequate governance or political willpower to make investments• Producer are taking too little responsibility • General lack of consumer awareness or education• Innovations and best practices are not well known or widely available
Key questions How can WWF help cities drastically reduce plastic pollution?With a focus on key areas in value chain and ability to scale?
WWF is working on hands-on projects in SE Asia, while
building a global movement of PlasticSmart Cities
Movement & Knowledge Sharing Platform
WWF invites Cities to commit to ambition
plastic pollution targets in line with WWF’s No
Plastic in Nature vision and to develop and
disseminate Plastic Smart Action best
practices, to achieve our ambition of 1000
PlasticSmart Cities.
Pilot Country Projects
With funding from the Norwegian
Agency for Development Cooperation
(NORAD) and WWF NL, WWF
colleagues are currently working on
the ground with cities and tourism
areas in 5 pilot countries. The goal is
to scale up to 25 cities by 2021.
WWF is targeting Cities across SE Asia (active ones in bold)
P H I L I P P I N E SDavao City (Barangay 23-c) Island Garden City of SamalTagum CityDigos CityLupon, Davao OrientalSanta Cruz, Davao del SurSan Isidro, Davao OrientalManila City
C H I N A & H KHong KongShenzhen CitySanya CityChangsha CityShanghai CityQinghai Province
V I E T N A MPhú QuốcLong AnCù Lao Chàm - Hội AnDa NangCan ThoHo Chi Minh CityHa Long City – QuangNinh Province
T H A I L A N DKo SamuiHat YaiSurat ThaniPatong BeachPattaya CityHua HinKo Tao
I N D O N E S I ADenpasar ManadoLabuan Bajo/KomodoSemarangMakassarJakarta
PlasticSmart Cities Pillar timeline
January 2019:Initiate “No
Plastic in Nature”
campaign
February 2019:Identify pilot countries and
cities
July 2019:Realignment
and finalization of strategy and
approach
Now
PLASTICSMART CITIES – PRIORITY FOCUS AREAS
Value chain PSC Priority
Reduce Use Of Key Waste Plastics
Collection Services For Everyone
Landfill Management
Improved Recycling
Rationale / CommentFocusArea?
✓✓
✗
✓✓
✓
✓
The key issue in the region; should be our number one priority
Stopping the problem at source in Cities is critical and offering viable alternatives for reduction / reuse
Addressed through markets pillar; we will address indirectly through targeting SUP reduction
Critical in short/medium term as we transition to greater circularity
Encompassing both stimulating recycling infrastructure and markets
Plastic-Smart Cities Strategic Framework
Focus Areas:
REDUCE USE OF KEY WASTE PLASTICS
SEPARATION AND COLLECTION SERVICES
IMPROVED RECYCLING / REUSE
LANDFILL MANAGEMENT
Public
Private / Community
3. Policy & Governance Interventions
5. Build Local Collection + Sorting Systems, and Recycling Markets
(where necessary)
6. Identify And Scale Entrepreneurial Solutions
4. Facilitate Sector
Roundtables
1. Plastic-Smart Cities Commitment
7. Monitoring Through Citizen Science
Internal
Hybrid
External
Key
0. City Prioritization
2. Scoping & Action Planning
Potential WWF Roles
• WWF is fully responsible for the work and its outcomes. (E.g. WWF team drafts letter to city to get Plastic-Smart cities commitment) Internal
Hybrid
External
• WWF works closely with partners to achieve outcomes, where all partners have interest in outcomes being achieved (E.g. WWF works together with a training organisation to develop municipal waste management syllabus)
• WWF identifies external parties, who take full responsibility for outcomes. WWF may enable these third parties (e.g. third party designs and implements waste collection and sorting system in a city. WWF supports through fundraising, making stakeholder introductions, amplifying results with communications, etc.)
Plastic-Smart Cities Strategic Framework
Focus Areas:
REDUCE USE OF KEY WASTE PLASTICS
SEPARATION AND COLLECTION SERVICES
IMPROVED RECYCLING / REUSE
LANDFILL MANAGEMENT
Public
Private / Community
3. Policy & Governance Interventions
5. Build Local Collection + Sorting Systems, and Recycling Markets
(where necessary)
6. Identify And Scale Entrepreneurial Solutions
4. Facilitate Sector
Roundtables
1. Plastic-Smart Cities Commitment
7. Monitoring Through Citizen Science
Internal
Hybrid
External
Key
0. City Prioritization
2. Scoping & Action Planning
0. City Prioritization – Purpose And Desired Outcomes
Purpose
Desired Outcomes
• The Plastic-Smart Cities process in pilot countries begins by identifying the most attractive pilot cities to work with, based on: o The magnitude of our potential impact in reducing marine plastic
leakage, and;o The ease of operating in the environment; in particular the
political will to address the problem
• The outcome of this phase should be:1. City Assessment Template completed for all potential cities2. City Prioritisation Matrix completed, allowing high-level prioritization
of potential cities3. Plastic-Smart City Rollout Timeline detailing when engagement with
prioritized cities will take place
Low Medium High
Po
ten
tia
l Im
pa
ct
Proximity to Marine
Protected Area
There is no link to an MPA (land-
based, no river)
There is a weak link to an MPA and
a river is present.
The city is in close proximity to a
Marine Protected area (
Outcomes from
the assessment
should be charted
on this matrix, to
allow us to
prioritise focus
cities. Rationale
should be clearly
documentedHarder Easier
Lo
wH
igh
Ease of Operating
Po
ten
tia
l Im
pa
ct
High Priority Cities
0. City Prioritisation – Approach 2. City Prioritisation Matrix
City Rationale
1. City X
2. City Y
3. City Z
0. City Prioritisation – Approach3. Plastic-Smart City Rollout Timeline
City Action H2 2019 H1 2020 H2 2020 H1 2021 H2 2021 H1 2022 H2 2022 H1 2023 H2 2023
City 1 City Engaged
PSC Commitment Signed
City 2 City Engaged
PSC Commitment Signed
City 3 City Engaged
PSC Commitment Signed
The following template should be completed to show the timeline for engaging with
prioritised cities:
Note: Next sections lays out in detail the
Plastic-Smart Cities commitment process
Plastic-Smart Cities Strategic Framework
Focus Areas:
REDUCE USE OF KEY WASTE PLASTICS
SEPARATION AND COLLECTION SERVICES
IMPROVED RECYCLING / REUSE
LANDFILL MANAGEMENT
Public
Private / Community
3. Policy & Governance Interventions
5. Build Local Collection + Sorting Systems, and Recycling Markets
(where necessary)
6. Identify And Scale Entrepreneurial Solutions
4. Facilitate Sector
Roundtables
1. Plastic-Smart Cities Commitment
7. Monitoring Through Citizen Science
Internal
Hybrid
External
Key
0. City Prioritization
2. Scoping & Action Planning
1. PlasticSmart Cities Commitment – about PlasticSmart
Cities
Official launch at EuroCities in Oslo on 23rd of October 2019 during the OurOceansconference!
1. PlasticSmart Cities Commitment – How cities can
commit to our movement
1. PlasticSmart Cities Commitment – Example
Declaration of Intent
Plastic-Smart Cities Strategic Framework
Focus Areas:
REDUCE USE OF KEY WASTE PLASTICS
SEPARATION AND COLLECTION SERVICES
IMPROVED RECYCLING / REUSE
LANDFILL MANAGEMENT
Public
Private / Community
3. Policy & Governance Interventions
5. Build Local Collection + Sorting Systems, and Recycling Markets
(where necessary)
6. Identify And Scale Entrepreneurial Solutions
4. Facilitate Sector
Roundtables
1. Plastic-Smart Cities Commitment
7. Monitoring Through Citizen Science
Internal
Hybrid
External
Key
0. City Prioritization
2. Scoping & Action Planning
2. Scoping & Action Planning – Purpose And Desired
Outcomes
Purpose
Desired Outcomes
Once prioritised cities have been identified, and have committed to becoming a Plastic-Smart City, the scoping process identifies in much greater detail the key waste hotspots, and challenges with current waste management system. We then engage with principle stakeholders, identify which subdistricts should be prioritized, set reduction targets, and build comprehensive waste management action plans
1. Baseline AssessmentA. Demographic and macroeconomic dataB. Waste generated by source and typeC. Current waste flowsD. Plastic litter in the environment
2. Stakeholder Mapping3. Stakeholder Outreach & Action planning
• Good data is essential to understand the existing state of waste management in a city, and the key challenges that must be overcome
• In middle- and low-income countries, however, data is notoriously difficult to collect and often unreliable
• Targeted interviews and surveys should therefore be undertaken, where necessary, to bridge any data gaps
• The extent of primary data gathering will depend on available secondary data, but the following is intended to serve as a rough guide
2. Scoping & Action Planning1. Baseline Assessment Overview (I/II)
• How much waste is generated by typical household/business, by type?
• What is current waste behavior and perceptions?
B. Waste Generated By Source And Type
Area
C. Current Waste Flows
D. Plastic Litter In The Environment
Key Questions Research Type
• Waste generation and characterization surveys
• Waste behavior surveys
2. Scoping & Action Planning1. Baseline Assessment Overview (II/II)
• What are the current waste flows?• What is the existing waste management
infrastructure and how effective is this?• What is the origin, and volume, of landfill waste?
• What is the current rate of leakage into the environment?
• What is the composition of leaked plastic?
• Secondary data analysis• Interviews• Landfill tracking and surveys
• Beach and river litter surveys
A. Demographic And Macroeconomic Data
• What is the city population, by subdistrict and how is this forecast to grow?
• What is income per capita, by subdistrict?• What is current and projected tourism levels?
• Secondary data analysis• Interviews
Scoping & Action Planning – Approach 1A. Baseline Assessment: Demographic And Macroeconomic
Data
Understanding the local
demographic and
macroeconomic context is critical
for later deciding where to act
and what solutions may be
relevant (middle income
neighbourhoods, for example
may be able to afford different
solutions to poorer
neighbourhoods). Government
data should be used for this where
available
Data Example Sources
Population by subdistrict • Census data
Forecast population growth
• Government data• Interviews
Per capita income by subdistrict
• Government data
Tourism numbers, and projections
• Local industry bodies• Government
masterplans
Scoping & Action Planning – Desired Outcomes 1A. Baseline Assessment: Demographic and Macroeconomic
Data
Subdistrict 1, 40,000
Subdistrict 2, 30,000
Subdistrict 3, 20,000
Subdistrict 4, 7,000
Other, 3,000
Population By Subdistrict* Income Per Capita By Subdistrict
Subdistrict 1 Subdistrict 2 Substrict 3
Tourism Forecasts
Note: *Current and forecast
2. Scoping & Action Planning – Approach 2. Stakeholder Mapping
Government
Key stakeholders at
all levels (regional, city, sub-district, environment
agencies, etc.)
Customers
Households
High leakage subdistrict
representatives
Businesses / sector bodies
Recycling Industry
Waste Banks
MRFs
Entrepreneurs
Informal sector
NGOs
Companies
Users / potential users
of recycled waste
Financiers
Micro finance institutions
Impact Investors
Foundations
Etc.
All local actors with an interest in improved waste management should be
mapped to give a thorough understanding of the operating environment
2. Scoping & Action Planning – Approach 3. Stakeholder Outreach & Action Planning (I/II)
Baseline assessment and stakeholder mapping can occur in parallel. Once baseline
is complete, an assembly should be held to begin the process of action planning:
Assembly To Share
Baseline Results
Establish Stakeholder
Working Group And Ways Of Working
Define Targets, And Subdistrict
PrioritisationAction Planning
• Engage potential stakeholder network
• Share WWF Plastic-Smart City process, target and baseline research findings
• Understand stakeholder concerns, strengths and potential contributions
• Precede and follow up with individual meetings, as necessary
• Build working group(s) with relevant stakeholders
• Align on roles of each stakeholder, and process to be followed
• Align on meeting frequency, location, and structure
• Set methodology to measure baseline results over time
• Agree how many sub-districts need to be “solved” to reach city ’s plastic reduction target (as defined in PSC commitment), and timing
• Prioritise subdistricts for intervention (see following slide for more detail)
• Build comprehensive action plans and budgets (the methodology for this is broken down by key strategic area in steps 3-7)
Plastic-Smart Cities Strategic Framework
Focus Areas:
REDUCE USE OF KEY WASTE PLASTICS
SEPARATION AND COLLECTION SERVICES
IMPROVED RECYCLING / REUSE
LANDFILL MANAGEMENT
Public
Private / Community
3. Policy & Governance Interventions
5. Build Local Collection + Sorting Systems, and Recycling Markets
(where necessary)
6. Identify And Scale Entrepreneurial Solutions
4. Facilitate Sector
Roundtables
1. Plastic-Smart Cities Commitment
7. Monitoring Through Citizen Science
Internal
Hybrid
External
Key
0. City Prioritization
2. Scoping & Action Planning
3. Policy And Governance Interventions – Purpose And
Desired Outcomes
Purpose
Desired Outcomes
• The Scoping & Action Planning phase will have identified multiple areas in which policy and governance interventions may be important. This pillar is about working with national and local government stakeholders to advocate for policies and actions that drive rapid reduction in marine plastic leakage
• Desired outcomes will vary, based on local context, but broad categories include:
A. Establishing Targets (e.g. reduction of waste going to landfill)B. Bans (e.g. microbeads, plastic bags, imported waste)C. Incentives (e.g. tax reduction on plastic alternatives)D. Penalties (e.g. fines for fly-tipping, burning of waste, etc.)E. Improved enforcement (e.g. policing of bans, where established)F. Investment in waste management (e.g. collection, sorting, recycling,
landfill infrastructure; education campaigns)G. Participation in capability building programs (e.g. landfill management)
Plastic-Smart Cities Strategic Framework
Focus Areas:
REDUCE USE OF KEY WASTE PLASTICS
SEPARATION AND COLLECTION SERVICES
IMPROVED RECYCLING / REUSE
LANDFILL MANAGEMENT
Public
Private / Community
3. Policy & Governance Interventions
5. Build Local Collection + Sorting Systems, and Recycling Markets
(where necessary)
6. Identify And Scale Entrepreneurial Solutions
4. Facilitate Sector
Roundtables
1. Plastic-Smart Cities Commitment
7. Monitoring Through Citizen Science
Internal
Hybrid
External
Key
0. City Prioritization
2. Scoping & Action Planning
4. Facilitate Sector Roundtables – Purpose And Desired
Outcomes
Purpose
Desired Outcomes
• WWF’s No Plastic In Nature initiative has a dedicated Markets pillar, whose aim is to work with corporations to develop global and national solutions to plastic pollution
• It is the role of the Plastic-Smart Cities team, however, to engage players at city level from the key polluting industry sectors (as identified during baseline assessment) on plastic reduction strategies
• Rather than engaging individual businesses, we will target scaleable, sector-level change through establishing industry round tables
0. A. Baseline assessment identify key industries where plastic is consumed (e.g. fast-moving consumer goods, fishing, food and beverage, hospitality, retail, e-commerce, food delivery services). Note: see Scoping section for approach to baseline assessment. B. Sector prioritisation: which are the key polluting sectors to be prioritised?
1. Establishment of round tables2. Sector-level commitment to shared set of objectives regarding reduction of plastic
waste3. Synchronised, step-by-step action plan for industries, committed to by all players
4. Facilitate Sector Roundtables – Approach1. Establishment Of Sector Roundtables
Through establishing Sector Roundtables, our aim is to catalyse
voluntary, high-impact, and synchronized industry action
adhering to the vision of No Plastics in Nature by 2030, through:
• Instilling positive
competition
• Aligning and
synchronizing
industry efforts, to
provide safety in
numbers
Facilitate Sector Roundtables – Approach2. Sector-level Commitment
Like the Plastic-Smart
Cities Commitment, the
Sector Roundtables
should aim to develop,
and have major
industry players sign up
to, a pledge
committing the sector
to plastic reduction
targets
Plastic-Smart Cities Strategic Framework
Focus Areas:
REDUCE USE OF KEY WASTE PLASTICS
SEPARATION AND COLLECTION SERVICES
IMPROVED RECYCLING / REUSE
LANDFILL MANAGEMENT
Public
Private / Community
3. Policy & Governance Interventions
5. Build Local Collection + Sorting Systems, and Recycling Markets
(where necessary)
6. Identify And Scale Entrepreneurial Solutions
4. Facilitate Sector
Roundtables
1. Plastic-Smart Cities Commitment
7. Monitoring Through Citizen Science
Internal
Hybrid
External
Key
0. City Prioritization
2. Scoping & Action Planning
5. Build Local Systems - Building local segregation,
collection and recycling systems will be a core pillar of
our strategy
Source: Systemiq example (Muncar)
MRF/TPST
Urban area
rural area
Householdcomposting
compost
Black soldier fly larvae
Chicken and fishfarms
Farms and flower shops
Junkshops&recyclers
Very denseUrban area
Depo
Non organicrecyclables
ResidualsLandfill
5. Build Local Systems - Systemiq, whose Project Stop is
an example of best practice, has been identified as a
potential partner
Project Stop (Muncar Pilot) Approach• Local empowerment: Empowering local villages to run
economically sustainable waste systems• Embedded team 2-3 years: deep multi-year support to
solve every challenge in waste system setup• Both hard and soft support: From behavior change
campaigns to investment in trucks, and buildings• Full government commitment: MOU with national
Ministry of Environment and local regencies• Multiple waste models for differing city archetypes:
Custom yet scalable approaches for an entire country
Plastic-Smart Cities Strategic Framework
Focus Areas:
REDUCE USE OF KEY WASTE PLASTICS
SEPARATION AND COLLECTION SERVICES
IMPROVED RECYCLING / REUSE
LANDFILL MANAGEMENT
Public
Private / Community
3. Policy & Governance Interventions
5. Build Local Collection + Sorting Systems, and Recycling Markets
(where necessary)
6. Identify And Scale Entrepreneurial Solutions
4. Facilitate Sector
Roundtables
1. Plastic-Smart Cities Commitment
7. Monitoring Through Citizen Science
Internal
Hybrid
External
Key
0. City Prioritization
2. Scoping & Action Planning
6. Entrepreneurial Solutions – Purpose And Desired
Outcomes
Purpose
Desired Outcomes
• The purpose of this pillar is to engage the private sector in creating plastic reduction outcomes that are sustainable over the long-term
• Enabling entrepreneurial solutions brings many advantages, including:• Access to innovative solutions and technology• Commercial viability, and hence sustainability• Job creation, and poverty reduction• Ability to scale quickly
In each market in which we operate, we need to identify the most effective ways to support and scale private sector solutions to plastic pollution. Potential outcomes may take the form of entrepreneurs benefitting from :1. Incubators2. Accelerators3. Creation of an impact fund4. [Other?}
Plastic-Smart Cities Strategic Framework
Focus Areas:
REDUCE USE OF KEY WASTE PLASTICS
SEPARATION AND COLLECTION SERVICES
IMPROVED RECYCLING / REUSE
LANDFILL MANAGEMENT
Public
Private / Community
3. Policy & Governance Interventions
5. Build Local Collection + Sorting Systems, and Recycling Markets
(where necessary)
6. Identify And Scale Entrepreneurial Solutions
4. Facilitate Sector
Roundtables
1. Plastic-Smart Cities Commitment
7. Monitoring Through Citizen Science
Internal
Hybrid
External
Key
0. City Prioritization
2. Scoping & Action Planning
7. Monitoring - We will build an internationally
harmonized approach to monitoring using Citizen
Science
• Data analyses across the region using specialized open source software, delivering annual reports
• Data comparison with international datasets
• Better fundraising opportunities in the network
• Factbased communication, high credibility and a better position toinfluence policy
• Inform SDG 14.1 progress
• Track progress and eased external reporting
A harmonisedapproach will allow:
WWF Plastic-Smart Cities
Thank you