Project period: 2013-2017

Main counterparts: Ministry of Environment (MINAM, Ministerio de Ambiente), Provincial Municipality of Arequipa (MPA, Municipalidad Provincial de Arequipa) and UNDP Peru.

Main objective: Elaboration of the National Act and regulations on solid waste, creation of Local Plans for the sustainable management of waste, valuation of this development sector drawing from the sustainable management of solid waste, associations and social protection.

Budget: USD 1,062,000 (USD 920,000 USD PEI; USD 142,000 UNV).

Poverty-Environment mainstreaming context

8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-indent:0in;line-height:115%”>Taking into account the most disadvantaged part of the population with regards to access to healthcare, education and environmental quality, the Multidimensional Poverty Index reveals that Peru has the second highest multidimensional poverty rate among South American countries.

8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-indent:0in;line-height:115%”>In 2013, 16.6% of the urban population and 53% of the rural population in Peru lived in poverty, while inequality in conditions of extreme poverty was even more persistent: 1.4% of urban extreme poverty versus 19.7% of rural extreme poverty (INEI Peru, 2013).

8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-indent:0in;line-height:115%”>Peru, as a biodiversity super-Power, is particularly dependent on its ecosystem services, which increases the vulnerability of poor people, given the reduced capacity of ecosystems to mitigate and protect from natural disasters and to contribute to food security.

8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-indent:0in;line-height:115%”>One of the greatest risks for ecosystems and human health in Peru is given by inadequate solid waste management. The per capita generation of waste at the local level in Peru has increased by 40% over the last 10 years, according to the National Environmental Action Plan 2010-2012. This is due to population growth, economic development, the changing of consumption habits, technological development and a raise in life standards among the population.

8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-indent:0in;line-height:115%”>It is estimated that 16% of all waste generated in the country is not managed appropriately, as it ends up in the environment untreated, especially in rivers and coasts. Of all collected waste, only 31% is eliminated appropriately in sanitary landfills, 54% is sent to informal dumpsters, and 17.7% is recovered or recycled in a formal or informal way. During the collection stage, 7.4% is recycled, and it is estimated that 0.6% is recycled during final disposal in informal dumping sites, increasing the level of risk of the people engaged in these activities.

8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-indent:0in;line-height:115%”>Although the National Programme of Waste Separation at the Source and Selective Collection of Peru is ambitious, the opportunities of value creation in recycling activities by facilitating the reuse of solid waste are not sufficiently exploited. It should be noted that the seizing of economic opportunities could generate several co-benefits in the solid waste sector. For instance, an easy and sustainable way to alleviate poverty would be to create jobs as recyclers, therefore increasing the income level of that sector of the population. In addition, municipalities could save in operative expenses of collection service, transport and final disposal of solid waste.

8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-indent:0in;line-height:115%”>Working in the solid waste sector is often an adaptive answer to avoid extreme poverty and it is the only source of income and livelihoods for these particularly vulnerable populations. For this reason, an improved waste management system can have a positive impact on poverty alleviation, access to healthcare, and environmental quality.

8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-indent:0in;line-height:115%”>According to data from the Waste Separation at the Source Programme in Arequipa, 82% of recyclers are women.

 Main activities

• Development of instruments and tools for the strengthening of the Ministry of the Environment (MINAM) in the integrated management of solid waste starting from the integration of social, environmental, poverty and gender variables.
• Development of instruments and tools for the strengthening of the Provincial Municipality of Arequipa in the management of solid waste starting with the integration of social, poverty, gender and environmental variables.
• Strengthen pro-poor recyclers associations and establish favorable conditions towards long term financial sustainability.
• Mobilization of the Peruvian society through volunteering to change public attitude and behavior towards solid waste.
• Project management and promotion of opportunities to replicate the systematized experience at municipalities at a local and national level with the scaling-up of methodologies.