February 17, 2021
Press releases
The partners of the "Sustainable Plastic Recycling in Mongolia" project funded by the European Union’s SWITCH-Asia program (Caritas Czech Republic in Mongolia and Mongolian Sustainable Development Bridge NGO) organized the "Waste to Wealth" online training on how to segregate waste on the household level. Through this online training, the participants received information and understood the methods to segregate waste in their respective households. Furthermore, the event has also strengthened the partnerships between expats and other citizens in waste recycling and sustainable actions.
This training has encouraged citizens to make active changes in their purchasing behavior regarding plastic and to follow the 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) approach and thus contribute to the environmental protection of Ulaanbaatar. Upon completion, the participants should have a basic understanding of waste issues in Mongolia, be able to sort their waste at home and gain knowledge on the current waste recycling situation in Mongolia, waste recycling organizations’ activities and recycled products.
There are 28,000 foreigners from 131 countries who work and live in Mongolia, of whom approximately 20,000 live in Ulaanbaatar city. It is important to involve and provide information to foreign residents, who are willing to contribute to sustainable actions and the waste recycling system. The online event is not only promoting the 3R principle, but the project partners see that expats can be great contributors to experience-sharing and knowledge creation in Mongolia.
“Plastics are an important material in our economy, and modern daily life is unthinkable without them. At the same time, however, they can have serious downsides on the environment and health. The fundamental principle of the project activities is sustainability. The European Union always strives to support sustainable green development in Mongolia.” said the Ambassador of the European Union to Mongolia, H.E. Mr Traian Hristea.
“Plastic waste is clogging up landfills, blocking drains, polluting water and contributing to biodiversity loss. Thus, we implement the “Sustainable plastic recycling in Mongolia’ to contribute to economic prosperity and poverty reduction and support the development of a green economy and the transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and circular economy in Mongolia.” emphasized Jana Zilkova, Head of CCR in Mongolia during the online event.
Every year, a total of 3.4 million tons of waste is generated in Mongolia, of which 10 – 15 percent is plastic waste. The SPRIM project team is working to improve the current production cycle of products made from recycled plastics by supporting SMEs in the plastic recycling sector. Health, safety and quality standards for products made by recycled plastic will be developed. In addition, CCR in Mongolia is planning to improve the system for plastic waste collection, sorting and classification through building a network of communities and CSOs to focus on raising consumers’ awareness of plastic waste separation and collection at all levels, including kindergartens, primary and high schools, universities, state and public institutions. This will be done together with four project partners, the Environment and Security Center of Mongolia, Ecosoum, Mongolian Sustainable Development Bridge and T.G. Masaryk Water Research Institute. The Sustainable Plastic Recycling in Mongolia project is being implemented from May 2020 to April 2024. The project target area is Ulaanbaatar city, Bulgan province and Khishig-Undur soum.
