Waste Sector Mitigation
Addressing the Waste Sector to Reduce Emissions
The waste sector is uniquely situated to substantially mitigate the second most abundant greenhouse gas, methane. Waste generation is growing faster than any other environmental pollutant, including CO2, particularly in developing countries where waste is a larger contributor to overall emissions. Focusing on waste with improvements in solid waste management can also bring various co-benefits such as an improvement in air quality, a reduction in contamination-related illnesses, economic growth, and a boost to energy resources.
An integrated solid waste management strategy, including targeting waste prevention, recycling, composting, energy recovery, treatment, and disposal, can have a significant impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions while creating new jobs and growing the economy. For instance, landfill gas, which is composed of about 50 percent methane and 50 percent carbon dioxide, can be captured and used as a source of clean energy and a substitute for fossil fuel. Similar potential exists for waste-to-energy projects in wastewater, livestock manure and biomass from national industries such as wine production or forestry. CCAP’s handout highlights real-world examples of successful waste management projects.
What We Do:
The overarching goal of the Waste Program is to reduce methane and other greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sector by advancing policies, programs and projects that contribute to sustainable waste management. Applying efficient and sustainable waste management approaches can offer immediate and cost-effective results in cutting global GHGs, while creating new jobs and growing the economy. By linking national policy action with local stakeholder engagement, on-the-ground projects, and low-carbon technology solutions, CCAP supports countries to develop and implement comprehensive approaches to waste management.
Goals and Objectives
- Address the barriers to investment in the waste sector and promote private sector engagement by pursuing waste tariff and policy reforms and the generation of sustainable business models.
- Enhance waste sector access to international climate finance by providing technical assistance with policy and project design, GHG analysis, MRV strategies, international best practices and financial and implementation plans.
- Support action at local level to tackle common waste-sector challenges or barriers across cities and regions (e.g. lack of technical capacity and knowledge about sustainable alternative waste treatment options) and whose solutions have the potential for transformative change, leading to reduced GHG emissions worldwide.
- Leverage the experiences gained in this program to inform global policy fora, including the UNFCCC, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), the GCF and others.
- Share waste sector best practices to serve as models for other countries and cities by facilitating dialogues, capacity building and knowledge exchange activities.
Municipal Waste NAMAs
Colombia
Integrated Solid Waste Management in Colombia
In partnering with Colombia’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADS), private sector stakeholders and local industry experts, CCAP is helping to implement an integrated solid waste management NAMA to maximize economic value from waste streams and also reduce GHGs.
Chile
Industrial and Municipal Waste NAMA in Chile
CCAP helped to design an organic waste NAMA that aims to divert organic industrial waste from landfills, reduce the use of dumps, and promote source separation at the municipal level. The NAMA will help solve the organic waste management issues in the industrial sector, which is expected to divert more than 90% of the total organic waste.
Peru
Solid Waste NAMA in Peru
With support from the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Building, CCAP is working to scale-up greenhouse gas mitigation efforts within Peru’s waste sector through a nationally appropriate mitigation action (NAMA) that will increase waste collection and improve waste treatment throughout Peru.
Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Partnership
CCAP is an implementing partner for the CCAC’s Municipal Solid Waste Initiative, which was launched in 2012 by the U.S. State Department and Environment Canada to significantly reduce short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), such as methane and black carbon. As an implementing partner, CCAP sits on the steering committee of the CCAC’s MSWI, which works directly with city governments to implement city action plans on SLCPs.
CCAP leads the CCAC Latin American Regional Waste City Network, a network of 24 of the largest cities in the region. The goal of the network is to build capacity of waste stakeholders at the municipal-level, provide a forum for participants to share best practices and learn from others in the region, and to help cities prioritize MSW actions and measures. CCAP also works directly with cities across Latin America and in Kenya, including: Chile: Viña del Mar, Concepción and Puerto Varas; Colombia: Medellín, Santa Marta, Bogotá, San Andrés, Cali and Barranquilla; Ecuador: Quito and Cuenca; Perú: Lima and Arequipa; Kenya: Nairobi and Kajiado County. In addition, CCAP is running the Latin American City Network, a network of 24 of the largest cities in the region including Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Santiago, Lima, Bogotá, Quito, and Montevideo.
