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

Executive
Summary
Waste generation and its appropriate management have become widely-debated issues across
the world. Technology providers, academicians, research institutes, governments, and
businesses have joined hands in many ways to solve the waste crisis in an environmentally
efficient manner. Overall waste management measures direct responsibilities to both
upstream producers and downstream consumers. It is only the composition and amount that
varies, but the magnitude of the problem remains the same or at least on a common scale,
meaning that everyone in the society has common but differentiated responsibilities.
Until recent years, methods of waste management and disposal were merely looking at
‘disposal or getting rid of’. With compounding problems of decreasing landfill and dumpsite
areas, alternative methods need to be adopted to reduce the volume of waste generated.
Above all are the rapidly depleting resources, fuel reserves, minerals and ores.
Comprehensive solutions, taking into consideration the stress posed on the environment and
ecosystem, is essential to ensure sustainable development.
The 3Rs - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - are observed to be the buzzwords of waste
management in the developed countries of the present day. This book aims at presenting to a
wider audience the results of the study conducted on analyzing the technological,
management and policy gaps in implementing the 3Rs of waste management in some Asian
countries.
The gap analysis was performed for 15 countries in the Asian continent, including developed
nations such as Japan, Korea and Singapore. The developing countries considered for the
study are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
Evidently, the developed countries have achieved remarkable progress in implementing 3R.
With the favorable cooperation of government and policymakers, these countries have been
able to visualize and achieve positive milestones in 3R. Most of the waste management
options have 3R principles underlying in it thus fostering its development. Though not
deliberate, some of the measures have yielded tremendous results in this group of countries.
The developing countries considered in this study demonstrate enormous scope for
improvement as far as waste handling and management is concerned. Most of these countries
do practice the 3Rs of waste management, not as an organized and formal way of waste
management, but as a means of livelihood, either by waste scavenging or down cycling of
segregated solid waste. Clearly, in all these countries, the 3R are still informal. Lack of
awareness of environmental and health issues, absence of technological guidance and zero
policy and legislative support are some of the speculated reasons for mushrooming of such
informal sector operations.
Technology transfer, awareness raising, community participation, public private partnerships
and above all, efficient and effective outreach of research initiatives on 3R are vital to move
towards a sound material-cycle society.
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