Municipal solid waste management is a huge problem in Bangladesh
and every day we generate around 15,000 tons of waste per day.
In the country and the city authorities can collect only 50 percent of it,
so the rest of the waste remains on roadsides
creating a huge environmental problem.
Now, there is another major issue regarding the waste characteristics
and that is that 70 to 80 percent of this waste is organic in nature.
That means it’s biodegradable.
And when it’s dumped on landfill sites, it generates methane,
which is a greenhouse gas, and it is one of the major gases
responsible for global warming.
Now, there are more than hundred thousand people in Bangladesh
who are surviving on picking their inorganic waste from the dumpsites.
So this is a social problem.
And since Bangladesh is a land hungry country with a high population density,
there is a problem of locating landfill sites in the country and you can see
that sometimes wastes are dumped on rivers.
Now, if I summarize all the three problems which we have identified
regarding waste in Bangladesh, is that the way it is managed
it’s generating methane gas.
When it’s dumped on open area at low lying areas, it generates...
which is polluting down in surface water
and it is also responsible for spreading off mold and fatty diseases.
Now, in the rural area at Bangladesh, there is another major problem
which is depletion of organic matter from the soil and it is causing serious problem
with the food security in the country.
So we have two problems, one is an urban based problem
and on the other side there is a problem with food security
because your soil is getting polluted.
Now, at Waste Concern we have developed a technology
which can convert the huge organic part of the waste into organic fertilizer
without creating methane emission.
Now, this technology can be used in any of the urban setting.
It can be used in rural areas, urban areas, and it can be of different scale.
Now, we have used this technology to manage waste in around 23 cities
in Bangladesh and we have also worked this thing with --
in Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
Now, these are photographs of some of the projects which we are implementing
in Bangladesh and we are reducing the greenhouse gas
and the most important thing is that since the technology
is reducing greenhouse gas we are getting carbon credits for it.
Now, what we are trying to do in Bangladesh is that
we have created a model in which we offer cities
free collection of waste and we take it to the other plant
where we recycle it.
Usually, what happens in developed countries
when a company is treating waste, it is paid by the city.
Now, in Bangladesh what we are doing
we are collecting waste free of cost for the city,
taking it to the plant which belongs to us,
and then we generate two outputs.
One is compost, organic fertilizer, which is sold on rural market, farmer,
and the carbon credits which are sold to the international buyers.
Now, this project which we have done the entire cost of the project,
the fixed cost is recovered from the carbon credit.
And one of the most important things which we have to do during the process
is to -- we have to monitor that the process is emitting zero mitten.
If there is any mitten emission from a system, we can get the carbon credits.
Now, the question is how this carbon credit
is benefitting the poor in the city?
Now, you look, these are the poorer waste pickers
who pick the waste from the landfill sites.
We have brought them in our plant, given them a better working condition,
and given them a better salary, and what we do is we provide them with day cares.
There are day cares facilities within the recycling plant.
We have free meals, health care system, everything????
in the project and everything is coming from the carbon credits.
Now, the other important benefit of the project
is that when you use this kind of organic fertilizer,
it reduces the need for chemical fertilizer by at least 30 percent
and it gives you higher???? in terms of agricultural products.
So what we are now trying to do is that by collecting waste
we are creating new jobs in the city.
It’s mainly for the waste pickers by recycling the waste.
We are also creating new jobs in the plant which is mainly focused for women.
We give them health insurance, we give them free meals and better salary.
Now, the whole concept of the project is based on
the greenhouse gas mitigation adoption law.
When you are reducing the waste in the city by recycling or composting,
we are reducing methane gas. It is mitigation.
And we get carbon credits for that.
And when we are applying the fertilizer on the soil, it is adaptation
because it gives higher??? to the agricultural land
and farmers get high income.
Now, this is a project which we call mitigation adaptation law.
Now, this project we are doing it for the last 15 years in Bangladesh
and we have replicated it in two countries outside Bangladesh,
in Sri Lanka and Vietnam and with support from World Economic Forum
we have already tried it in Pakistan.
Now, we have got huge demand from the neighboring countries
to replicate this model.
And my question to you is that we have got two options.
First is that waste concern can provide advisory services to?????
this kind of project outside our geographic boundary
and the other option is that we can create joint venture companies
in each of the countries to replicate the idea.
But one point I'm trying to make here is
that this project is based on bank finance.
It’s not a ground project.
We take loan from the bank, do it free of cost,
and by doing this kind of project we create employment,
we reduce greenhouse gas and also make marginal profit.
Thank you.