The GIZ-supported project ASEAN Municipal Solid Waste Management Enhancement (AMUSE), another milestone in the ASEAN-Germany Development Partnership, was launched in celebration of the first International #ZeroWasteDay on 30 March 2023 in Bali, with the aim to improve municipal solid waste management and promote circular economy and sustainable tourism in focal partner countries Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
Around 50% of solid waste remain uncollected and unrecycled, and Southeast Asia as a fast growing region faces a major challenge of protecting the environment in the face of massive waste generation that comes with growth. Present virtually, the Ambassador of Germany to ASEAN Ina Lepel emphasized the need to address this issue on a regional level, and the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Socio-Cultural Community Ekkaphab Phanthavong likewise expressed ASEAN’s commitment to improving solid waste management in the region through AMUSE project and hopes that this project will contribute to the implementation of the ASEAN Regional Action Plan on Combating Marine Debris.
The project launching event also featured presentations from Dr. Novrizal Tahar, Director of Solid Waste Management in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia, on the impact of fast-growing economy on the environment in ASEAN, and Mr I Nyoman Suwirta, Head of Klungkung District, Bali, who introduced his own waste management program called Tempat Olah Sampah Setempat (TOSS), which is coherent with AMUSE’s vision and mission. The launch was finally opened by Nguyen Minh Cuong, Chair of ASEAN Working Group on Environmentally Sustainable Cities (AWGESC), who emphasized the importance of the project and its potential to improve cooperation and knowledge exchange between AMS and their waste and tourism sectors.
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