3.1.5. Local and international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
To help address existing challenges of solid waste management a number of local and international NGOs (i.e. Waste Concern, Practical Action, Swisscontact Bangladesh, Basa, Mati Bangladesh, World Vision Bangladesh, DSK Bangladesh) are present and have initiated projects, mainly by (a) giving technical and financial support to local CBOs (bottom–up approach) and (b) advocating policy making and policy implementation by the National and Local Government entities (top–down approach).
Support from NGOs to CBOs typically encompasses the development of CBOs’ capacity for one or several of the following components: (i) establish a more efficient door-to-door collection system, (ii) conduct awareness raising programs and equipment distribution to promote waste segregation at household level, and (iii) treat segregated organic waste (as compost or biogas).
Ultimately, revenues obtained from residents for waste collection and from sale of recyclables and compost must cover costs of separate collection and composting. Financial support from NGOs often helps support the transition period to help the CBO finance new infrastructure or to hire additional staff until the system is financially viable.
Initiatives concerning door-to-door collection are fairly successful, as residents quickly see an improvement in the situation of their neighbourhood and are then also willing to pay for this service. It is however necessary to ensure that the household waste delivered at the transfer point is also collected and transported to a landfill by the municipal authorities. This is often not the case, especially in low-income slum areas.
Initiatives for waste segregation in households have not yet succeeded to significantly change the long term behaviour of households. Source segregation is still perceived as an additional burden, and reliable separate collection systems need to be in place to keep households motivated. One precondition is that the CBO needs to have a sufficiently stable organizational structure and the capacity to repeatedly provide information and guidance to residents.
Organic waste treatment initiatives also regularly face issues of financial viability. This will be explored in more detail in chapter 3.2.1.
As part of their activities, NGOs also advocate policy making and implementation by the National and Local Government entities. One example is the establishment of a nation-wide ban on thin polythene bags in 2002, which was the conclusion of a ten-year campaign by a local NGO called Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO). Thin polythene bags are now illegal, but stronger enforcement of the ban is still needed, along with awareness-raising on the side of the customers. Currently most markets and shops still offer thin polythene bags.
Advocacy is also done indirectly by NGOs as they encourage CBOs to ask for support from the local authorities to implement national and local policies (see below overview of policies in Fig. 3).