A Gap Analysis in Selected Asian Countries, 3R Knowledge Hub ...

Most of the higher value recyclable wastes
such as metal pieces, cans and beer bottles, are
traded informally by the scavengers and by
the respective business entrepreneurs under
the retail business licenses across the border to
India and Bangladesh. Very few formal wastes
dealers licensed as scrap dealers exist in
Bhutan, like; two in Thimphu and one in
Phuentsholing. The scavengers first collect
recyclable wastes from the waste collection
bins for either selling to the scrap dealers or
informally trading across the border. The
municipal waste collectors then separate the
recyclable products in the process of
collecting, transporting and disposing the
wastes. They either sell it to the scrap dealers
or trade informally across the border for their
additional income. The formal scrap dealers
too trade the collected scraps across the
border. Two steel and iron industries set-up in
Kamji and Pasakha in the south started to
purchase some metal scraps from the formal as
well as informal metal scrap dealers.
Otherwise, very limited recycling plants exist
in the country.
The only successful waste management
venture was the wood sawdust management
from the sawmills. There are few sawmills and
woodcraft workshops within the Thimphu
municipal area and until lately, sawdust was a
concern to the authorities and the public alike.
Now, with various sawdust recycling ventures
(fuel-wood briquetting and compressed board
production), the sawdust problem has
subsided.
The government had initiated to setup a
composting plant for managing the organic
wastes of Thimphu at Serbithang under the
DANIDA assistance. However, operation of
the plant did not materialize for some
logistical gaps between the involving agencies
towards the completion of the project. An
electricity supply substation construction and
the access road pitching could not be
completed to fully equip the plant for
operation.
Cutting the PET bottles to pellets for sale
across the border for recycling has been
initiated recently in Paro and Thimphu. It is
expected to reduce substantially quantity of
PET bottles going to the waste disposal sites in
the near future. The National Environment
Commission initiated the plant in Paro and the
Thimphu City Corporation in Thimphu. The
agro industry in Serbithang which bottles
mineral water has recently procured a machine
for cutting PET bottles into pellets and has
plans to procure more machines for distribution
to their sale depot agencies throughout the
country.
During the waste survey at the Memelakha
disposal site, paper carton boxes, white paper
and plastic wastes were observed. The bettlenut
cover, which cannot be easily composted
constituted significantly in the organic wastes
component. A private entrepreneur, Jungshi
Paper Industry has initiated a paper recycling
plant in Jemina, about 20 km from Thimphu
town. It lacks manpower and transportation
facilities to collect and transport raw materials
to the plant. The government/private
institutions also need to support the company
by providing segregated paper wastes at source
points. One prominent reuse of the papers as of
now is wrapping small purchases from the
retail shops.
Cardboard (carton) boxes are stacked in the
scrap dealer yards for export across the border.
One Scrap dealer in Thimphu, Karma Scrap
mentioned that in the absence of inadequate
space for construction of proper storage sheds,
makes paper waste business including
cardboard boxes is unattractive.
Overflowing dumpsite with urban waste
Image source: Mr. Nado Rinchen, Asia 3R
Conference, Tokyo 2006
Chapter 3: Country Analysis
19