Accra, the tropical capital of Ghana faces environmental and waste management issues. The Municipal Authority of Accra was initially responsible for waste management services. Due to the inadequate capacity of waste management, the Municipal Authority started the Hutalapi principle that has brought in other waste collection service providers with a target of the lower-middle-income neighbourhood of Accra.
Category: Solid waste management and recycling
A city designed for and with children: Quelimane, Mozambique
The economy of Quelimane is dependent on rain-fed agriculture and fishing. This has led to some families falling into extreme poverty due to the effects of climate change. Children, an important part of the population, have been affected as well. The good practice aims to promote children’s participation in the governance and planning of Quelimane city.
Turning waste into a resource
The City of Bizerte (Tunisia) introduced the separation and composting of organic waste, in cooperation with the City of Rostock (Germany). During a dialogue event and two reciprocal delegation trips, the idea for the project was jointly developed by experts from Rostock and Bizerte. With funding from the ‘Partnership Projects for Sustainable Local Development (Nakopa)’ programme of the Service Agency Communities in One World (SKEW), a composting plant was built and commissioned at the end of 2020.
Municipal Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic – MENA region
In the wake of the Pandemic, municipalities in the MENA region in both urban and rural areas need to rethink their modes of operation and accelerate their shift towards building resilience during the recovery process. In an effort to support municipalities that are members of the Connective Cities network in the MENA region, four thematic working groups were established as part of Connective Cities program ‘Municipal Recovery from the Pandemic.’ Objectives of this working group include promoting practice–oriented knowledge exchange between municipal and urban practitioners, facilitating peer learning on sustainable and innovative approaches to build resilience in cities through biodiversity and environmental protection, digitalisation of municipal services, and promoting social entrepreneurship for circularity. The program has resulted in the development of concrete urban solutions. Another outcome was the creation of partnerships between municipalities as well as with private sector actors to articulate the proposed solutions and scale up the impact. This report summarizes the main achievements until February 2022.
Predicting changes in waste volumes due to Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly altered economic activities and people’s lifestyles. These changes also have a great impact on industrial, commercial and private waste volumes. It is important for municipal waste management companies to estimate changes in quantities and thus the utilisation of their facilities as early as possible.
Innovation for the environment
As the case with the majority of municipalities in Lebanon, Bikfaya municipality lacked support from the central government and was unable to provide viable solutions for solid waste management (SWM). This motivated local residents to propose grassroot initiatives. A group of volunteers (with no prior technical knowledge in solid waste management), promoted recycling and sorting at source. Initially receiving technical support from a local environmental NGO, this case has eventually transformed into a best practice that is resonating in Lebanon and the MENA region.
Trash to Cash
Despite the weaknesses that permeate solid waste management in Lebanon, some municipalities have committed themselves to innovate solutions and overcome the challenges that include cost recovery issues, treatment and disposal difficulties, low capacity of dumpsites, lack of commitment from the local community for recycling, and a low demand for recycled products. Al Manara and Ghalboun municipalities are two examples on how municipalities were able to transform these challenges into opportunities.
Safety First in Belo Horizonte
The municipality of Belo Horizonte in the south-east of Brazil introduced a Covid-19 safety protocol for the selective collection and screening of recyclable materials. The protocol ensured that waste management services could continue during the pandemic and that waster pickers and sorters were protected as effectively as possible.
Unturning the Stones
The virtual dialogue event “Unturning the stones – Exploring Climate Finance for Asian Cities” was held on the Connective Cities platform from the 28th to the 30th of September 2021. It was jointly hosted by Connective Cities and TURBOCLIC (Transformation – Urban Opportunities – Climate Change), an initiative from GIZ’s sector networks TUEWAS (Transport Environment Energy and Water in Asia) and SNGA (Governance Asia).
The active participants consisted of 25 urban practitioners and experts from 6 countries (Nepal, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Philippines and Germany) working in the sectors financing, public works / infrastructure, greening and planning departments. They were united by the fact that all of them are working at the forefront of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures in their cities. In order to implement green and sustainable solutions that leapfrog current unsustainable patterns, it is essential to develop innovative and efficient financing approaches to build climate resilient and low-carbon cities.
Municipal Waste Management in Times of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has left a significant mark on municipal waste management worldwide. During the lockdowns, quantities of private household waste have increased, while commercial waste has decreased. Strict hygiene measures are required when collecting and sorting waste – a service that must continue to function everywhere despite the more difficult conditions created by the pandemic. Many municipal waste companies were unprepared for a digital way of working and, in some cases, have come under financial pressure. In the long term, the pandemic demonstrates that a shift towards a circular economy is an essential strategy for sustainability.
These and other topics were on the agenda at the Connective Cities Response Dialogue “COVID-19 and municipal waste management: Response to the pandemic and post-pandemic outlook”. On November 9 and 11, more than 20 participants from seven countries shared their experiences online. They also advised each other on how best to address current challenges in municipal waste management, and how to incorporate lessons learned from the crisis into long-term operations.