The World Bank on June 13 approved a project to strengthen management of waste, plastics, and pollution in Laos, with a focus on improving municipal solid waste services in Vientiane Capital.The Lao government’s Environment Protection Fund and Ministry of Public Works and Transport will implement the $37.85 million Pollution and Waste Management Project from 2025 to 2031 as part of a commitment to a cleaner development pathway. The focus on municipal solid waste in Vientiane, the country’s capital and largest waste generator, will provide a model for other cities, thereby amplifying its impact across Laos.Plastic pollution Photo credit: Mel D Cole/World Bank

Through the project, the government will invest in waste collection equipment, transfer and treatment facilities, including upgrading a landfill facility outside Vientiane. The project will also support development of a compliance monitoring system that will help the government enforce pollution control regulations, increase the accuracy and reliability of air and water quality monitoring stations, and strengthen the legal framework for waste management. Waste workers will receive vocational and occupational health and safety training and protective equipment.

“Air and water pollution have been longstanding concerns for Laos, while solid and plastic waste management problems are also growing”, said Alex Kremer, World Bank Manager for the Lao PDR. “This project will help the government address these issues and will also contribute to efforts to reduce the amount of waste that flows down the Mekong River to the ocean”.

The project will directly benefit around 645,000 residents of Vientiane by providing better waste management, and will bring improved working conditions, training, and employment opportunities to 264 waste pickers at the Vientiane landfill. It will support efforts to achieve 100% solid waste collection in Vientiane, while maximizing material recovery and financial and operational efficiency, and also back the National Plastics Action Plan in reducing the prevalence of single-use plastics and enhancing recycling.

Funded by a low-interest International Development Association credit and a grant from PROBLUE, a multi-donor trust fund that helps countries adopt a blue economy, the project is part of the World Bank-financed Southeast Asia Regional Program on Combating Marine Plastics. This is a joint initiative with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to reduce plastic consumption, increase recycling, and minimize land-and sea based marine plastic pollution in Southeast Asia.Waste generation has greatly increased in Laos over recent years, particularly in urban centers. The annual cost of health-related impacts from air and water pollution, poor sanitation and hygiene, and lead exposure was estimated at 14.6% of GDP in 2017.Source: World Bank