Municipal Waste Recycling Program (MWRP) Annual Work Plan FY 2019 - Revised

The program focuses on addressing faulty waste management practices and promoting sustainable waste recycling services in Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. These countries are responsible for more than half of the plastic waste in the world's oceans, with Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam ranking second through fifth, respectively, as the top marine polluting countries worldwide. The MWRP grants program supports initiatives to recycle waste that threatens human health and the environment, and which, if recycled, could generate income, improve agriculture, and produce energy. Program activities focus on addressing public awareness leading to behavioral change, improving the recycling and reuse of plastics via waste segregation at source, and effectively managing municipal waste streams. With proximity to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, reinforcing municipal waste management efforts in these countries is crucial to attaining improved recycling and a reduction in the flow of plastics to the marine environment. The MWRP comprises three main components: a grants program component of USD 5.5 million supporting a range of promising municipal solid waste management (MSWM) approaches; an evaluation component to measure the grants program results, lessons learned, and recommendations for future USAID investments; and an international cooperation component to facilitate USAID's engagement with strategic national, regional, and international efforts to improve the effectiveness of municipal waste management. Of the USD 5.5 million in total grant funding, the Development Innovations Group (DIG) has obligated approximately USD 3.5 million in the first two program years under Component 1, the centerpiece of MWRP. In Program Year Three (PY-3), DIG expects to obligate the remaining grants pool – approximately USD 2 million (USD 50,000 to USD 250,000 per grant) – to entities that propose promising approaches to reduce plastics pollution impacting the marine environment. The MWRP Team will build on the activities implemented during the first two program years to further meet the Program objective and achieve its overall success. Program activities will focus on addressing faulty waste management practices as well as the resulting problems caused by plastics pollution in the Asian marine environment. The program will specifically address public awareness leading to behavioral change, improving the recycling and reuse of plastics via waste segregation at source, and more broadly, the effective management of municipal waste streams. The MWRP grants program will support a range of promising municipal solid waste management (MSWM) approaches, including initiatives to recycle waste that threatens human health and the environment, and which, if recycled, could generate income, improve agriculture, and produce energy. The program will also facilitate USAID's engagement with strategic national, regional, and international efforts to improve the effectiveness of municipal waste management. In PY-3, the MWRP Team will implement a range of activities to achieve the program's objectives, including the evaluation of grants program results, lessons learned, and recommendations for future USAID investments. The team will also facilitate international cooperation to improve the effectiveness of municipal waste management and support the development of a portfolio of assistance instruments in support of sustainable waste recycling services. The MWRP Team will work closely with local government units, national environmental agencies, and other stakeholders to implement the program's activities and achieve its objectives. The team will also provide technical assistance and capacity building to support the development of sustainable waste recycling services in the target countries. The MWRP has made significant progress in the first two program years, with a total of 15 grants awarded to support promising municipal solid waste management approaches. The program has also established a strong partnership with local government units, national environmental agencies, and other stakeholders to support the development of sustainable waste recycling services in the target countries. In PY-3, the MWRP Team will build on this progress to further achieve the program's objectives and improve the effectiveness of municipal waste management in the target countries. The team will continue to support the development of sustainable waste recycling services, facilitate international cooperation, and evaluate the program's results to inform future USAID investments.