SWITCH-Asia

The Challenge

The Government of Mongolia has undertaken a number of initiatives related to waste and the 3Rs (Reduce Reuse Recycle) at different levels, which have been, or are being, implemented. However, some of these have not suitably addressed the waste management problems and no overall coordinating system exists for waste management in the country. As a result, solid wastes continue to be dumped regardless of location and without any scientific treatment. For example, there is no regular waste collection and disposal schedule, no disposal options except for landfills in UB and other aimags, and no special facilities for disposal of hazardous waste. These issues lead to negative impacts on both the environment as well as on public health in the country. Furthermore, the lack of consolidated and comprehensive data on waste generation and its management leads to a gap in future planning and implementation of sound waste management strategies.

The 3R4UB project supports SMEs and MSMEs in adopting and financing SCP practices from demonstration to practical replication of sustainable urban landscape and waste management. It mobilizes the private sector, financial intermediaries, producers and consumer organisations and social groups to work in harmony with the Urban Landscape and Waste Management Department of the Mayor's office - City of Ulaanbaatar (UB). The project will also be disseminating design tools and an integrated design approach on SCP and Circular Economy for UB to stakeholders (government, MSMEs, citizens, civil society). It will follow an innovative design for a Smarter Consumption Plan through knowledge-sharing and co-design approaches, involving a wide range of stakeholders and the wider community towards innovative and competitive solutions for UB’s societal and environmental problems, as tested by a pilot demonstration. 

The Objectives

3R4UB will initiate reduction and reuse of waste, in accordance with the provisions of EU Directive 2008/98/EC, a robust model of separate collection, managed by MSMEs and the City of UB, through the Pilot Demonstration. It will build capacity of line-ministries and sub-national agencies to promote SCP, through the involvement of the Mongolian Government Agency Fresh Water Resources and Nature Conservation Centre (FWRNCC) and improve their expertise through technical training, workshops and field visits. The project will also facilitate interaction between MSMEs and financial intermediaries to create the necessary conditions for accessing finance for the SCP investments, forming a working group and financial framework for key stakeholders such as the Mongolian Banking Association (MBA). It will also assist collaboration among companies that collect recyclable waste, sorting and treatment plants, and industries that reuse waste as a second raw material for profitable economic investments towards a circular economy approach. An analysis of the infrastructure needed to allow sustainable management chains for municipal solid waste (MSW) will be backed by an economic analysis. More specifically, 3R4UB will:

• Promote the adoption of SCP practices among Local Authorities (LAs), citizens and MSMEs, notably in plan design, awareness campaigns and a pilot project;
• Build capacity of line ministries and sub-national agencies to promote the SCP, and improve their expertise through technical training, workshops and field visits; 
• Facilitate interaction between MSMEs and financial intermediaries to create the necessary conditions for accessing finance for the SCP investments;
• Change consumer habits, directed primarily at younger generations and future social actors;
• Forge strong links between companies that collect recyclable waste, sorting and treatment plants, and industries that reuse waste as a second raw material. 

The Way Forward

• Conducive conditions for the implementation of a sustainable system of collection of MSW through urban planning;
• Increased public awareness by encouraging the sorting of household waste;
• Improved production process of MSMEs through the collection of materials selected at source and access to a waste sorting plant;
• Income generation from the sale of recyclable material due to higher quality obtained by the collection and sorting process as through greater cleanliness, homogeneity and uniformity.

Relation to European Green Deal, Circular Economy and Climate Change 

The project aims to reduce GHG emissions by tackling climate change. It also champions the green economy approach, stimulating a green market in the waste management and recycling sector.