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1st

National Planning Workshop on Recycling “Challenges and Opportunities”

Workshop Report

Participants to the workshop © S.Moctar/UNEP/ERP

Thursday 6 December 2012, Regency Hotel, Juba

Supported by

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TABLE OF CONTENT

I- About the 1st National Planning Workshop on Recycling 3

II- Opening remarks 3

III- State of recycling in South Sudan 4

IV- International recycling best practices in developing contexts 6

V- Challenges and opportunities

Awareness and education

Technical issues

Coordination

Funding

Policies

Market for recyclables

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VI- Closing remarks and next steps 11

Annexes 14

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I. About the 1st National Planning Workshop on Recycling The South Sudan Development Plan

states that solid waste management

systems in Juba will be rehabilitated

and expanded. However, the solution

chosen for solid waste management in

the Development Plan is the

establishment of landfills on the

outskirt of the cities. No formal

recycling system has yet been

envisaged by the local and national

authorities in South Sudan.

Recycling bears many opportunities for

the new nation of South Sudan. It has

the potential to clean the environment

and reduce the space used for waste disposal; generate employment opportunities and

income; and recover resources instead of mining them anew. A national coordinated approach

to recycling with suitable policies and regulations could facilitate the establishment of private

businesses and attract investment in the sector so that the recyclables are not only collected

and exported but directly processed in South Sudan.

The workshop, organized by UNEP and ERP, with support from DFID aimed to map existing

recycling initiatives; present international best practices; share ideas and identify recycling

opportunities for South Sudan; and explore the establishment of a national forum for recycling

stakeholders. It took place on Thursday 6 December 2012 in the Juba Regency Hotel and

brought together around 45 representatives (see list of participants in annex 1) from the

business sector, local authorities, relevant Central and State-level Ministries, NGOs, donors

and UN Agencies as well as international recycling and solid waste management experts.

II. Opening Remarks Opening the workshop, Mr Oliver Michael,

Executive Director of Environmental

Rehabilitation Program South Sudan

highlighted waste as one of the major

environmental side-effects of urbanization

and economic development in South Sudan.

However, “waste is actually wealth lying on

the ground” said Mr Michael emphasizing

the income generating potential of recycling

and the need to change people’s perception

of waste.

In his opening remarks, Mr Arshad Khan,

Officer in Charge, UNEP South Sudan, draw

attention to the challenges of waste management and highlighted some of the initiatives

conducted by UNEP in this regard. The ‘Keep Juba Clean and Green’ campaign has played a

major role in raising awareness on waste management in Juba, Mr Khan said. Mr. Khan also

Arshad Kahn, UNEP Officer in Charge © S.Moctar/UNEP/ERP

Oliver Michael, ERP Executive Director © S.Moctar/UNEP/ERP

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presented UNEP’s activity

designed to improve the

livelihood of waste-pickers

at the Yei Road landfill.

Mr Arkaljiol Stors,

Administrative Officer,

Juba City Council pointed

out that being a very new

State, South Sudan had

been unprepared for such

abrupt population growth

and its related waste

production. The

Administrative Officer

thanked both UNEP and

JICA for their hard work on

waste management in Juba. The responsibility of the Council, Mr Stors said, is to provide a

healthy environment to the inhabitants of Juba. However, waste management requires

significant resources, which are not readily available. Hence, private recycling would be

extremely useful in managing waste, allowing the Council to work on other priority areas

including fresh water supply, Mr Stors said.

III. State of recycling in South Sudan In his introduction on the state of recycling in South Sudan and based on a recent study

conducted by JICA, ERP’s Programme Adviser, Mr Oliver Laboulle said that there were around

15 companies operating in Juba and already specialized in recycling. These mainly deal with

four types of recyclables:

Gate ornaments locally produced out of recycled aluminum © S.Moctar/UNEP/ERP

Participants during a group work session © S.Moctar/UNEP/ERP

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1. Scrap metal is the most targeted material. It is collected and sold in Kenya or Uganda

for re-melting.

2. Blow/hard plastic is also widely targeted. It is crushed into small pieces and sold in

Kenya or Uganda.

3. Small-scale recycling initiatives already exist for (polyethylene terephthalate: PET)

/plastic bottles. Most bottled-water companies in Juba import plastic tubes, which they

blow into plastic bottles. This process creates defect plastic bottles which cannot be

filled with water and represent a waste for the company. Three bottled-water companies

in Juba produce their own plastic tubes molded on their production site by a so-called

“injection machine”. 10 to 15% of the virgin PET used to inject the tubes can be

replaced with recycled PET chips, which is how these three water companies are able

to use the plastic waste coming out of their own production. Two bottled-water

companies crush and export their defect plastic bottles to Uganda or Kenya. Few

companies have been established to recycle plastic bottles but none of them has been

able to sustain their activity in the long run.

4. Aluminum and especially cans used for beverages are collected, melted and formed

into gate ornaments or simply pressed together and sold in Kenya/Uganda for re-

melting.

Participants during a plenary session © S.Moctar/UNEP/ERP

Despite these existing recycling practices, other types of recyclables have so far been

neglected. These are mainly: PET (not yet systematically targeted); paper; and cardboard;

glass; batteries; electronics (containing gold and rare metals); electric cables (copper); tires;

etc. As well as the the opportunities, Mr Laboulle also highlighted some of the critical risks

related to recycling in developing countries, includingchild labour and the lack of protective

equipment and awareness for transformation workers and waste-pickers.

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IV. International recycling best practices in developing contexts

In the session on international best recycling practices the experts Azhar Ali1 and Mounir

Bushra2 shared some of the experience they gained in developing contexts similar to South

Sudan.

Mr Azhar Ali started his presentation by defining waste as something which is “disregarded for

any further use by its user” and provided a basic categorization of waste. Mr Ali presented

three basic types of waste: a) solid waste; b) liquid waste; and c) gaseous waste. Solid waste

can be further divided into the categories below:

For Mr Ali, the need to recycle is not just born out of a growing population, but growing and

changing waste production. Unlike 50 years ago, waste has become mostly inorganic (dry

waste as compared to wet/organic waste which is bio-degradable and can be composted) and

nature is unable to ‘digest’ it. Hence the increased need for recycling, which is processing

waste into new products and resources to decrease the amount of waste taken to landfills.

While waste disposal still has the

reputation for being dirty and unskilled

work, the broader field of waste

management and recycling is increasingly

complex and requires qualified technical

workers, said Mr Ali who went on to

present a few case studies from Pakistan,

Turkey, Iraq and Brazil.

1 Mr Azhar Ali worked technical and institutional expert on several international SWM projects in Turkey, Pakistan,

South Sudan and Iraq. Among others, Mr Azhar Ali worked on the strategic waste management plan for the city of Juba and headed the team that designed Pakistan's first garbage transfer station with 1500 t/day capacity. 2 Mr Bushra started the first waste recycling program ever in the Zabbaleen community at Moquattam Zabbaleen

Settlement in Cairo through an Oxfam sponsored project from June 1983 to December 1986. During that time, Mounir Bushra was managing 40 small businesses involved in waste collection and recycling. In the last twenty years, Mounir Bushra worked as a SWM consultant for UNDP, UNIDO, UNEP, and the WB in more than 20 countries.

Participants during a group work session © S.Moctar/UNEP/ERP

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International recycling experts © S.Moctar/UNEP/ERP

Furthermore, Mr. Ali presented his work in Juba with South Sudan Development Organization

(SSDO) and UNEP: The project formed a waste pickers association in Juba with a view to

professionalize the sector and increase the quantities of recyclables collected. There are to

date around 300 collectors gathering approximately 6 tons of recyclables per day at the Yei

Road dumping site in Juba. The projected potential is 20t/day at the landfill. Collectively for

Juba, this figure is estimated to be around 80t of recyclables/day.

For Mr Mounir Bushra Mina, a holistic conduct of waste management should generate

employment opportunities, income and help to recover resources that would otherwise be

imported, as well as keep the environment clean. Mr Bushra stated that recycling reduces the

cost of waste disposal and extends the life span of land where dumpsites are located by

reducing the amount of waste discarded. An example in this regard can be provided by a

project in Egypt whereby garbage collectors recouping some of their costs from recycling could

lower the waste disposal charge from 5 Egyptian Pounds to 3, thereby out-pricing other non-

recycling competitors on the market.

Mr Bushra presented a wide range of waste

processing methods, like baling metal, plastic

and paper; shredding; crushing for plastic bags

and bottles; and pelletizing machines which can

increase the value of waste plastic by 250%. Mr

Bushra briefly presented examples of best

recycling practices from Egypt, Uganda, China

and the Philippines before he advocated for the

creation of a Recycling National Programme.

Participants during a plenary session © S.Moctar/UNEP/ERP

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Asked what recycling strategy should be adopted by South Sudan in the question and answer

session, Mr Ali emphasized that there was not only one successful recycling model which can

be applied to any country. It can be a combination of both public and private sector initiatives

with different funding models. However, for the time being it seems difficult to make waste

producers pay for recycling in South Sudan, as is the case in certain industrialized countries.

Mr Ali therefore recommends that the government provides resources for waste management.

Taxing households will also be relatively difficult at this early stage in the development of South

Sudan, said Mr Ali. According to his experience, inhabitants first need to see the positive

effects of garbage collection before they will be willing to pay for it. Mr. Mina added that while

South Sudan may not be able to afford some of the equipment and machines he presented,

many can be adapted from other countries and produced locally at a cheaper price, thus

developing local skills and know-how as well. Finally, both Mr. Ali and Mr. Mina stated that

Juba would find its model by bringing all stakeholders together, assessing the size of the

recyclable market and providing a sound legal framework for recycling.

Participants during an interactive working session © S.Moctar/UNEP/ERP

In response to queries about how South Sudan should get started on recycling, Mr. Ali

reminded the workshop participants that other countries started 40 years ago, so the European

or U.S models cannot be applied overnight. However South Sudan has the opportunity to move

faster by learning from other countries’ mistakes. Emphasizing the importance of changing

people’s mind when it comes to waste management, Mr Ali suggested starting to work on

recycling programmes with schools including incentives for pupils to collect as much

recyclables as possible. For Mr Ali, children would soon extend their remit beyond the

schoolyard to home, to the whole neighbourhood in an effort to recycle more plastic.

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V. Challenges and Opportunities In the session on opportunities and challenges for recycling in South Sudan, participants were

asked to identify barriers, problems and challenges related to recycling. Working in small

groups, participants then looked at recommendations with a view to improving recycling in

South Sudan. The following seven categories were identified by the participants to be the main

challenges impeding more recycling initiatives in the country:

I. AWARENESS AND EDUCATION

Barriers Lack of awareness for recycling among government officials and other

key stakeholders

Negative population’s attitude and stigma towards waste collection

and recycling due to local norms and culture

Lack of health or environmental education in the community

Lack of skilled personnel able to work in recycling

Language barrier between stakeholders making cooperation difficult

Recommendations 1.1. Government, relevant NGOs and private companies should

provide technical and vocational training related to waste

management and recycling

1.2. The Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Communication

should identify the main issues related to waste management and

sensitize the general population via mass media campaigns

1.3. The Ministries of General Education and Instruction at national and

state-level should change attitudes by providing environmental

education through the inclusion of waste awareness and

management in the national curriculum

1.4. The Ministries of General Education and Instruction at national and

state-level, in collaboration with private companies, should develop

informal learning programmes for adults on waste-management

and specific recycling methods. Where possible, these trainings

should be delivered in a variety of national languages to reach a

broad range of the population

1.5. The general educational provision needs to improve with a view to

having a literate population able to coordinate and plan recycling

activities as well as to operate machinery

1.6. The Government of South Sudan and relevant NGOs should

demonstrate the tangible outcomes of recycling to the general

population by building community structures made of recyclables

1.7. Beverages companies should use the stickers on plastic bottles to

raise awareness about recycling

II. TECHNICAL ISSUES

Barriers Lack of (access to) recycling equipment in South Sudan

Waste workers lack technical know-how related to recycling processes

and equipment

Lack of infrastructure and city power to run recycling equipment

Recommendations 2.1. The Government of South Sudan and local authorities should

encourage private companies to invest in South Sudan, hopefully

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bringing new technologies to improve recycling standards and

providing nationals with technical and vocational training

2.2. The Government, relevant NGOs and private companies should

provide technical and vocational training concretely targeting the

operation of recycling machinery

2.3. The government, along with the City Council and other relevant

stakeholders should improve the provision of electric power for

private businesses

III. COORDINATION

Barriers Lack of coordination between key stakeholders

Public health officers not involved in waste management

Recommendations 3.1. A stakeholder’s forum should be created to share information and

promote recycling in South Sudan. Such structure must involve key

entities such as national, state-level and local institutions,

community representatives, the UN, international and local NGOs

and must be coordinated with a top-down approach to ensure

proper involvement of all levels

3.2. Such a forum could help in defining regulations, harmonizing

policies and limiting corruption faced by private entities working on

waste management and recycling

IV. FUNDING

Barriers Lack of government funding and financial resources in the field of solid

waste management

Lack of private sector interest and funding in the field of recycling

High operational costs and expensive recycling equipment

Private investment thwarted by insecurity

Recommendations 4.1. The Government of South Sudan should allocate special funds for

recycling or support companies to access funding and provide

assistance to recycling companies

4.2. Financial institutions, business communities and individuals should

be sensitized on the investment opportunities related to recycling

V. POLICIES

Barriers No clear or inadequate policies on waste and recycling

Lack of clear regulations on waste management

Government and local authorities unable to enforce policies and

regulations

Inefficient solid waste management system

Recommendations 5.1. Together with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Environment

should formulate proper policies on waste-management and

recycling

5.2. The Government of South Sudan and law enforcement agencies

must regulate the sector and ensure that the defined policies are

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known to the public and enforced

5.3. Local authorities, city and county councilors should be involved for

the proper implementation of the policies

5.4. A clear policy framework with enforced regulations on the ground

should enable private companies to feel confident and invest in

South Sudan

5.5. Corruption practices obstructing the work of waste disposal and

recycling companies should be mitigated by the Government of

South Sudan

VI. MARKET FOR RECYCLABLES

Barriers No buyers/demand for recyclables in South Sudan

Transportation within South Sudan and to Kenya and Uganda difficult

and expensive

Low earning potential from recyclables

Low quantity of segregated waste to be recycled

Recommendations 6.1. Private companies handling finished products should be attracted

to invest in South Sudan with a view to create an national market

for recyclables

6.2. Better infrastructure (roads, city power, etc.) are needed for the

development of recycling activities in South Sudan

6.3. The Government of South Sudan and State authorities should set

up a centralized scheme reducing taxes for companies dealing with

waste and recycling

VI. National Recycling Stakeholder Forum Based on the recommendations made by the participants, the last session was dedicated to the creation of a National Recycling Stakeholder Forum. Participants identified the following key aspects for such a forum:

Objective:

Promote and encourage recycling in South

Sudan

Activities:

Coordinate the various stakeholders

(private sector companies, NGOs,

government) involved in waste

management and recycling and

minimize the duplication of activities

Monitor and evaluate the progress of recycling in South Sudan

Improve, set and monitor recycling standards

Lobby and advocate for environmental policies and regulations related to recycling

Coordinate periodic stakeholders’ meetings

Act as the voice of the recycling community

Participants during a break-out session © S.Moctar/UNEP/ERP

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Review technical proposals (submitted by private companies to local authorities for

example) related to recycling

Sourcing resources for sector partners

Provide marketing and contact information for NGOs, local and national government

and private sector interested in recycling

Identify and share best-practices with the recycling community

Meetings and communication

The forum should meet once a year at national level

State-level meetings can be held independently, on a quarterly basis for example

A bi- monthly or quarterly newsletter containing updates on recycling activities in South

Sudan and abroad should be sent to the forum members

Chair and membership

The forum should be chaired by the national Ministry of Environment and co-chaired by

a representative of the business sector and an NGO or international organization

The chair should rotate on annual or bi-annual basis

All stakeholders involved in waste management and recycling should be members of

the forum. These include but are not limited to Ministry of Environment; Ministry of

Physical Infrastructure; Ministry of Finance; relevant state-level Ministries; city councils

and local governments; community representatives; business communities; NGOs, UN

and international development agencies.

VII. Closing remarks and next steps

To close the workshop, Hon. David Batali, Acting Undersecretary at the Ministry of

Environment congratulated the initiative of the organizers and emphasized the need to promote

recycling in South Sudan. Hon. Batali said that in South Sudan, the environment didn’t just

provide amenities and living space, but was also a source of energy and minerals for the

development of the country. “People may look at the current situation and find it appropriate,

but without formal recycling, South Sudan will gradually run out of space and be unable to deal

with the large quantities of waste produced by the increasingly urbanized population”, he said.

Hon Batali welcomed the creation of a national recycling forum needed to provide advocacy

and raise awareness on the need for recycling. He expressed the Ministry’s commitment in

taking an active role in this forum. Finally the Acting Undersecretary encouraged participants to

put the workshop results into practice and to continue sharing information on recycling.

UNEP and ERP are committed to taking these recommendations forward and sharing the

results of the workshop with the relevant government officials, funding partners and any

relevant stakeholders. The organizers of the workshop will look at raising funds to be able to

implement some of the recommendations, especially with regard to the establishment of the

national recycling forum.

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Annex 1- List of participants

First name Family name Title Organization

Arkaljiol Stors Administrative Officer

Juba City Council

Deng Nyinkuany Akuar Deng Director General State Ministry of Water Resource & Bridges

Paul Alim Amol Director State Ministry of Environment

Jacob Amanya Kasio Iboyi Public Health Officer Torit City Council

Butrus Apollo Coordinator South Sudan Land Commission

Dimu Arre Mulla Executive Director Juba County

Mounir Bushra Mina SWM Consultant

Alice Bwangamoi Surur Project Officer Environmental Rehabilitation Program

Delia Castro Environmental Education Specialist

Taban Charles Michael Senior Inspector Juba City Council

Eriko Christopher Projects Manager SLAGE

James Daniel Chuang Chief Executive Officer

Malakal City Council

Darren Evans

Food Security and Livelihoods Advisor Department for International Development

DFID

Michael Francis Executive Director Rajaf Payam

Fernando Gryzbowski Environmental Engineer

UNMISS

Yemane Haile Head of Secretariat Eritrean Business Community

Arif Issa Director Ministry of Wildlife & Conservation

Arshad Khan Officer in Charge UNEP

Kuol Kuol Amet Public Health Officer Kuajok City Council

Emmanuel Ladu A/ Inspector Ministry of Environment CES

Andrew Lako A/ Inspector Ministry of Environment CES

Paul Gore Laku

Ministry of Environment CES

Beyson Leju Deputy Director Chambers of Commerce

Birgitta Liljedhl Fol Sweden

Alfredo Lo Cicero Country Director CESVI

Alex Duku Logworong Public Health Officer Munuki Payam

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Scopas Lukudu Public Health Officer Juba Town Payam

Mariano Ernero Mangu Director of Environment

State Ministry of Agriculture, Cooperatives & Environment

Simon Martin Wani Deputy Director Public Health

Munuki Payam

Oliver Michael Executive Director ERP

Jada Albert Modi SWM consultant UNEP

Philip Mor Paul Student University of Juba Environment &Natural Resources

Evan K Mutungi Manager Green Land Recycling Limited

Emmanuel Natal SLAGE

Jane Gubare Nimpamaya UNDP

Micheal Ogwo Deng Student University of Juba Environment &Natural Resources

Catherine Peter Battal Public Health Officer Wau City Council

James Puoch Manyang Public Health Officer Bentiu city council

Shashank Sabnis Managing Director Kagwana Agro Project

David Batali Undersecretary Ministry of Environment

Sharon Wangoi Ndungu CEO Green Land Recycling Limited

Olivier Laboulle Program Advisor Environmental Rehabilitation Program

Johnson Tito Legg Kawa Local Coordinator JICA

Khamis Wani Deputy Inspector Public Health

Juba Town Payam

Veronica Alibe A/ Inspector Ministry of Environment CES

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Annex 2 – Agenda

9:00 – 9:30 Registration

9:30 – 9:45 Opening panel

Welcome by Oliver Marubu Michael, Executive Director, ERP

Welcome by Arshad Khan, Officer in Charge, UNEP

Official Opening by Arkaljiol Stors, Administrative Office, Juba City Council

9:45 – 10:40 Introduction and state of recycling in South Sudan

Facilitated by Olivier Laboulle, Programme Adviser, ERP

10:40 – 11:00 Coffee/Tea break

11:00 – 13:00 International best recycling practices in developing contexts Presentation, Q&A session and discussion

1- Azhar Ali, Solid Waste Management Expert, Turkey

2- Mounir Bushra, Solid Waste Management Expert, Egypt

13:00 – 13:45 Lunch break

13:45 – 15:15 Opportunities and challenges for recycling in South Sudan

Interactive group discussions

Presentation of recommendations by each group

Facilitated by Olivier Laboulle, Programme Adviser, ERP

15:15 – 15:30 Coffee/Tea break

15:30 – 16:20 Coordination Structure for Recycling Stakeholders in South Sudan

Facilitated by Olivier Laboulle, Programme Adviser, ERP

16:20 – 16:30 Wrap-up and next steps

Facilitated by Olivier Laboulle, Programme Adviser, ERP

16:30 - 16:45 Official Closing and Farewell

Hon David Batali, Acting Under-Secretary, GOSS, Ministry of Environment