Towards Osaka Blue Ocean Vision - G20 Implementation Framework for Actions on Marine Plastic Litter

Bhutan

Actions and Progress on Marine Plastic Litter
Last Update : 2021/07/28

Policy framework

Legal framework

Bhutan has National Legislation on waste management namely Waste Prevention and Management Act, 2009; Waste Prevention and Management Regulations, 2012; National Waste Management Strategy 2019; National Waste Management Flagship Program,2020;

Measures

Measures

Achievements

Prevention and reduction of plastic waste generation

Actions for encouraging sustainable / circular product design

Reduce and reuse of plastic waste

Brief description:

Making baskets out of plastic waste, bags woven by use of plastics

We see a positive improvement from last two years

Measures

Achievements

Environmentally sound waste management

Enforcement of proper waste management system

Monitoring by Dzongkhag and Thromde administrations; imposing of penalty;

We see a positive improvement from last two years

Prevention of littering, illegal dumping and unintentional leakage of waste into the ocean

Cleaning campaigns, awareness, imposing fines

 

Measures

Achievements

Cleanup of marine plastic litter

Collection of scattered waste on beach

Cleaning campaigns

Brief description: once a month conducts cleaning campaigns and also collaborate with other stakeholders for mass cleanings, observes important days such as world water day or environment day by conducting mass cleaning campaigns

We see a positive improvement from last two years

Removal of plastic litter from the ocean

Cleaning campaigns

We see a positive improvement from last two years

Measures

Achievements

Promotion of innovative solutions

Policy actions for encouraging plastic alternatives (e.g. biodegradable plastics, circular product design – including use of recycled materials or closed loop recycling and so on’)

Llimit the use of single use plastics esp. plastic carry bags and home-made ice cream pouches.

Brief description:

NECS provided clothes bags to reduce the use of single use plastic bags, use of water filter in offices or meeting is encouraged instead of using bottles water, no plastic cutlery is used in the meetings

We see a positive improvement from last two years

Public-private partnerships for creating and implementing innovative solution

PPP model is practiced in Bhutan

Brief description:

Involvement of private sectors in waste management; encouraging entrepreneurs in waste business

We see a positive improvement from last two years

Measures

Achievements

Education and awareness raising

Education system for encouraging public awareness on MPL issues

Incorporated waste management in school curriculums of science textbooks for class 4-8 of Bhutan; development of SOP on waste management with Ministry of Educations

We see a positive improvement from last two years

Awareness raising campaigns related to MPL

International / Regional level:

Member of SACEP project on South Asia marine pollution project;

 

Measures

Achievements

Monitoring & Scientific research on marine plastic litter

Actions for encouraging monitoring / scientific research on plastic flows and ocean surface microplastics

 

We see a positive improvement from last two years

 

Challenges

Check the challenges that your country has faced:

Recycling system improvement

Proper waste management system (including lack of local capacity)

Data collection related to waste in general

Data collection related to marine plastic litter

Lack of awareness among citizens, business, local governments

Lack of financial incentives for waste treatment in general

Lack of financial incentives for technology development

Project delays due to COVID-19

Best practices

(Please share in detail some best practices carried out on a national and local level, as well as ones initiated by the private sector, citizens, international cooperation, and international regional level, if any)

National level

National Environment Commission Secretariat Reinforced the ban on Limited plastic such as plastic carry bags, homemade ice cream pouches and doma wrappers in 2019.

NECS conducts cleaning campaigns along the rivers on World Environment Day and World Water Day

Distribution of clothes bags to vegetable vendors to propagate the use of reusable bags while shopping.

Thimphu Thromde discourage the offering of plastic packaged food in religious sites under its jurisdictions;

Local level

Many Districts promote the use of reusable bags for shopping instead of plastic bags. The water filters are also encouraged in offices. In many rural areas, people reuse the water bottles, plastic bags etc. they carry their own plates and cups while going for gathering, some use banana leaves as a plate instead of plastic cutlery’s.

Private sector

Private sectors in Thimphu makes fencing poles out of plastics, many women entrepreneur group produces plastic bags.

Samdrup Jongkhar Initiatives in eastern part of Bhutan adopted a town whereby the encourage the sustainable life style and reduces the use of plastics in the area.

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