Case Studies

Steve has helped The Asia Foundation, an international development organization, to improve waste management and recycling in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.  This work delivered:

• A national report on waste management and recycling which outlined the political, social and economic framework for waste management in the Lao PDR, national waste volumes and composition, impacts of poor post-consumer disposal and littering, and an overview of landfills and resource recovery centres.   
• National guidelines on the management of landfills and community dumps. This report used international best practice and applied it in respect to the Lao PDR’s economic, social and environmental conditions. The guidelines covered site selection, site assessments and surveys, landfill design, leachate management, landfill gas control, surface and stormwater management, site operations, monitoring, site closure and after-care. 
• A national awareness campaign to encourage people to increase recycling and reduce litter working with the Luang Prabang Film Festival to encourage film makers to produce awareness raising movies.  
• Solid waste analysis surveys of households in different provinces.
• Recycling initiatives in rural parts of the Laos PDR, to help reduce environmental and health issues, as well as providing alternative livelihood opportunities; and
• A green school’s programme, which provided schools with infrastructure and awareness raising material to increase recycling.