The Government of Mongolia and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a USD three million grant agreement to improve food waste recycling in local communities in the capital city, helping to keep Ulaanbaatar cleaner. “Discarded food waste sullies the city and can be unhealthy for the people living here. Implemented jointly with the government, the grant will help improve the living conditions in Ulaanbaatar by introducing participatory food waste recycling practices,” said ADB Country Director for Mongolia Mr. Pavit Ramachandran. Around 1.2 million tons of solid waste are generated annually in Ulaanbaatar. Although close to 20 percent of the waste is recycled, food waste is typically dumped in formal or informal landfills. The Ulaanbaatar Community Food Waste Recycling Project, with the participation of local communities, will identify food waste generation and composting options based on current food waste recycling practices. It will also pilot both smaller and larger food waste recycling activities, scale-up existing projects across Ulaanbaatar, and raise overall awareness of the need to recycle food waste, said the ADB report. The project is funded by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, which has supported projects in Mongolia in poverty alleviation, improving livelihoods, and safeguarding the environment over the past 20 years.

Published Date:2020-01-24