Although plastic has made many things possible around the world, mismanaged plastic waste has become a severe problem for the environment and inhabitants of this planet. Whether we are talking about plastic waste ending up in the oceans, the increasingly choked up landfills urbanised areas or the slow degradation of plastic waste into micro-plastics, it has become a problem which requires the support of everyone to come to a suitable solution.

The Singapore Netherlands Water House, the water community of ADB-DutchCham, hosts a virtual sharing session with guest speakers that are working on initiatives to solve challenges in relation to mismanaged plastic waste. The speakers will take you through solutions being implemented to rid oceans of plastic waste (The Ocean Cleanup), methodologies to identify and categorise plastic waste streams in cities and improve management measures (UN-Habitat) and a live project example where Marine Litter Action Planning is in the implementation phases for 6 cities in The Philippines (HOCCI with support of Arcadis). 

THE OCEAN CLEANUP

The Ocean Cleanup develops advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. They aim to achieve this goal by taking a two-pronged approach: stemming the inflow via rivers and cleaning up what has already accumulated in the ocean. For the latter, The Ocean Cleanup is developing large scale systems to efficiently concentrate the plastic for periodic removal. This plastic will then be used to create durable products and fund continued cleanup, making cleanup itself circular. In 2019, the organization launched the other half to their solution, the Interceptor™, to extract plastic in rivers before reaching the ocean. In 2020, The Ocean Cleanup produced the first product made with plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch of which 100% of the proceeds go towards the continuation of the cleanup.

Steven Paalman – Director Asia, Rivers

Soon to be located in Asia, Steven Paalman leads the Asia developments for The Ocean Cleanup’s River projects. Following years of reconnaissance and in-depth research, the non-profit is ramping up Interceptor installations to tackle the world’s most polluting rivers. In Steven’s role, and together with the Netherlands-based team, he connects the dots between local partners, regional needs and conditions, and solutions. With 27 years of experience in driving growth, Steven’s key objective is to unite this knowledge with The Ocean Cleanup’s technology to find the most impactful solutions for the Asia region.

UN-HABITAT – WASTE WISE CITIES INITIATIVE

UN-Habitat launched “Waste Wise Cities”, to address the increasing global waste management crisis. Waste from homes, markets, businesses and institutions is thrown on the streets, in drains, dumped next to communities or openly burnt. Not only does this make our cities unsightly and unattractive to tourists and investors, it leads to flooding, air and water pollution, diseases as well as respiratory and other health problems.

Nao Takeuchi – Waste Management Specialist

Located in Nairobi, Kenya, Nao Takeuchi is responsible for the implementation of the Waste Wise Cities Tool (WaCT) an innovation that cities can use to evaluate and improve their municipal solid waste management performance. This method is based on the definition of the SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) indicator 11.6.1 and generates critical information and parameters through primary data collection to establish better waste and resource management strategies and action plans, as well as to mobilise funds and engage stakeholders of the waste chain.

ARCADIS

Arcadis is the world’s leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets. With more than 27,000 people, in over 70 countries, dedicated to improving the quality of life. With sustainability at the heart of everything they do, the focus is on maximizing impact aimed at improving the quality of life. The solutions they develop address important societal challenges around resilience, places and mobility.

Matthijs Engelbert van Bevervoorde – Senior Environmental and Social Consultant

Located in Singapore, Matthijs is mainly working for Financial Institutions, supporting them in the implementation of international standards for project development in emerging markets. He has worked on projects in Asia for the past 4 years, with a focus on environmental and social impact assessment and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) advisory for client’s management teams. Throughout his project work, he was increasingly more involved in waste management projects including the development of plastic waste reduction strategies. 

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