Page 56 - Plastics News July 2025
P. 56
FEATURE NEWS
SACEP Propels South Asia's Fight
against Plastic Pollution
outh Asian waste management compa- 30 technological or social innovations address-
nies, civil society groups and communities ing different stages of the plastic life cycle.
Shave collectively prevented 10.2 million
kilograms of plastic waste from polluting the re- Meanwhile, technical assistance has been pro-
gion's rivers and seas during the past five years. vided to the ministries of environment in several
That is roughly equal to the weight of about countries for improving policy and regulatory
2,550 fully grown Asian elephants. aspects concerning plastics, or for better under-
standing the intricacies of plastic waste manage-
This has been achieved under the Plastic Free ment.
Rivers and Seas of South Asia (PLEASE) project,
a multi-country and multi-faceted initiative im- Recognising that women in South Asia are dis-
plemented by the South Asia Co-operative En- proportionately involved in informal waste col-
vironment Programme (SACEP). lection activities – such as scavenging through
landfills or sorting recyclables – the PLEASE pro-
The PLEASE project has also enabled the recy- ject has sought to improve their working condi-
cling of over 626,000 kilograms of plastic waste tions. The project has benefitted women waste
into useful resources in Bangladesh, Bhutan, workers through training, better access to child-
Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, its six care, health and social services, as well as creat-
participating countries. ing safer work environments.
SACEP and PLEASE project’s efforts to transi- SACEP began implementing the PLEASE Project
tion to circular plastics economy in the South in mid-2020 to strengthen innovation and coor-
Asian region resonate well with the World En- dination of circular economy solutions to plastic
vironment Day 2025 being observed on June pollution flowing into South Asian Seas. As an
5. This year’s theme is 'ending plastic pollution inter-governmental organization, established by
globally,' highlighting the urgent need to reduce the governments of South Asia in 1982 to pro-
and better manage plastic waste, which threat- mote better environmental management, SA-
ens human health and the natural environment. CEP has a mandate to support its member coun-
tries in their journey towards sustainability.
The PLEASE project’s results go well beyond in-
tercepting plastic waste and recycling. PLEASE In partnership with civil society organizations,
works with companies and civil society groups private companies, research institutions and lo-
in reducing plastic use (especially single use cal communities, the PLEASE project has found
plastics like bags, cups and straws) and better viable solutions that are tailored to local needs
managing plastic waste in households, commu- and conditions. Examples include:
nities and industries. The project has catalysed
56 PLASTICS NEWS July 2025
