Bangkok, 6 May 2022: The Asian Institute of Technology's (AIT) Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific (RRC.AP) organised a consultation meeting to kick off a project funded by ERIA's Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris (the Centre).
The project, in partnership with Thailand, the Philippines, and Lao PDR, will harness the experiences, perspectives, roles, and expertise of selected ASEAN cities to develop technical guidelines for the prevention of leakage of plastics and resin pellets from factories and the informal recycling sector in ASEAN, to disseminate lessons learned to build capacity in the region.
The project aims to prevent microplastic and macroplastic losses into the marine environment through promotion of best practices at resin producing factories and recycling facilities or junk shops in the region. The guidelines will be based on feasible best management practices which are socially permissible, technologically available, and economically practicable.
The meeting presented and discussed the project's scope and a detailed workplan with project collaborators and other key stakeholders, to attain involvement and set the course for a smooth project collaboration and successful implementation at the city level.
The project's final recommendations will also serve as technical input to the international legally binding agreement to control plastic pollution by 2024, adopted at the resumed fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 28 February to 2 March, 2022.
Important participant feedback was as follows.
Clarify Stakeholder Definitions
‘I would strongly recommend for us to properly categorise the players along the value chain, because the lack of a clear definition can create confusion and inconsistency in our understanding,’ said Mr Crispian Lao, Founding President of the Philippine Alliance for Recycling and Material Sustainability.
‘In Thailand, the informal sector is not much mentioned in relevant policies, although they play a critical role in collecting waste,’ said Ms Hatthaya Yamchuti, AIT School of Environment, Resource and Development.
Linking with Existing Framework
‘To stay in line with frameworks and action plans on marine debris, as most of the countries already have one or are in the process of developing one, the guidelines developed through this project have a high potential to be embedded in such a framework,’ said Mr Guilberto Borongan, RRC.AP Head of Waste and Resource Management Cluster.
‘It is indeed important to harmonise the project with existing national action plans for it to be meaningful. The first step would be to identify in which component of the national action plan the project input can contribute,’ Mr Crispian Lao said.
‘Is it also possible to create linkages between local and national frameworks with any global framework?’ asked Dr Marlon de Luna Era, Associate Professor of De La Salle University.
Good Communication Plan
‘Establishing a good communication plan will be critical for the project, so that the end-users of the guidelines, including government entities, can appreciate and make good use of our work,’ said Dr Michael Promentilla of De La Salle University.
Research Associate
Bangkok, 6 May 2022: The Asian Institute of Technology's (AIT) Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific (RRC.AP) organised a consultation meeting to kick off a project funded by ERIA's Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris (the Centre).
The project, in partnership with Thailand, the Philippines, and Lao PDR, will harness the experiences, perspectives, roles, and expertise of selected ASEAN cities to develop technical guidelines for the prevention of leakage of plastics and resin pellets from factories and the informal recycling sector in ASEAN, to disseminate lessons learned to build capacity in the region.
The project aims to prevent microplastic and macroplastic losses into the marine environment through promotion of best practices at resin producing factories and recycling facilities or junk shops in the region. The guidelines will be based on feasible best management practices which are socially permissible, technologically available, and economically practicable.
The meeting presented and discussed the project's scope and a detailed workplan with project collaborators and other key stakeholders, to attain involvement and set the course for a smooth project collaboration and successful implementation at the city level.
The project's final recommendations will also serve as technical input to the international legally binding agreement to control plastic pollution by 2024, adopted at the resumed fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 28 February to 2 March, 2022.
Important participant feedback was as follows.
Clarify Stakeholder Definitions
‘I would strongly recommend for us to properly categorise the players along the value chain, because the lack of a clear definition can create confusion and inconsistency in our understanding,’ said Mr Crispian Lao, Founding President of the Philippine Alliance for Recycling and Material Sustainability.
‘In Thailand, the informal sector is not much mentioned in relevant policies, although they play a critical role in collecting waste,’ said Ms Hatthaya Yamchuti, AIT School of Environment, Resource and Development.
Linking with Existing Framework
‘To stay in line with frameworks and action plans on marine debris, as most of the countries already have one or are in the process of developing one, the guidelines developed through this project have a high potential to be embedded in such a framework,’ said Mr Guilberto Borongan, RRC.AP Head of Waste and Resource Management Cluster.
‘It is indeed important to harmonise the project with existing national action plans for it to be meaningful. The first step would be to identify in which component of the national action plan the project input can contribute,’ Mr Crispian Lao said.
‘Is it also possible to create linkages between local and national frameworks with any global framework?’ asked Dr Marlon de Luna Era, Associate Professor of De La Salle University.
Good Communication Plan
‘Establishing a good communication plan will be critical for the project, so that the end-users of the guidelines, including government entities, can appreciate and make good use of our work,’ said Dr Michael Promentilla of De La Salle University.
Research Associate
