The Cities Cluster on Waste Management, Green Cities and Renewable Energy offers a space for knowledge sharing and collaboration between cities partners of the Global South on how to ensure effective waste management through universal collection and safe treatment, building greener cities and promoting renewable energy such as biomass.
Concerns of waste management are looming larger in developing countries that have not developed adequate waste management policies or systems, trash collection services, or government institutions to effectively manage their wastes. Innovative waste management strategies can be an effective way to address complex urban issues including rising greenhouse gas emissions, unsanitary public spaces, growing energy demand, and limited space, and achieve cleanliness and environmental sustainability. Enabled by treatment technologies, wastes can be converted to energies, including electricity, heat, fuel, and other usable materials. For instance, in Southeast Asia alone, the total quantity of the waste-to-energy capacity from landfill biogas plants and incineration plants accounts for over 323 MW and this number is expected to double by 2022; by 2030, the realizable generation potential from renewable municipal waste in six Southeast Asian countries will amount to 17.26 TWh (Maw Maw Tun, et el, 2020).
The Cities Project perceived substantial needs of developing cities in improving their waste management and added waste management in its work plan of establishing city clusters. Capacity development, knowledge and good practices exchanges, pilot and demonstration activities will be facilitated and implemented in partnership with UN specialized agencies.
The Cities Project welcomes city partners interested in participating in this Cities Cluster on Waste Management, Green City and Renewable Energy and hopes the knowledge exchanged here leads to more South-South cooperation and a swift post-pandemic social and economic recovery.
Xiamen, China
Santiago, Chile
