Paraguay - Actions to improve organic waste management and reduce methane emissions in medium and small communities

Rationale

As of 2019 3.4% of Paraguay's total CO2eq emissions come from the waste sector (2,135 kt), 43% of which comes from final disposal and 5% from open burning. Sector emissions have increased by 116% from 1990 to 2019, mostly due to rapid population growth and the resulting increase in the generation of liquid and solid waste. Methane represents 94% of waste sector emissions. 

Paraguay’s National Urban Waste Management Plan (NUWMP) outlines a strategy to address gaps in the waste sector by introducing a model where households separate waste into organic, recyclable, and non-recoverable streams, with a focus on organics.

Several small and medium-sized composting and vermicomposting initiatives have been active in Paraguay, and work directly with households or obtain feedstock from large generators such as supermarkets (Casa Rica). Large-scale agro-industries also compost their waste. 

However, municipal support for these initiatives is very limited. There is little experience with anaerobic digestion technologies and, according to the NUWMP, 100% of landfill sites are poorly managed, resulting in minimal experience with gas capture technology.

This project aims to promote methane mitigation in Paraguay by enhancing organic waste management and reducing emissions at national and subnational levels. It will collaborate with national and local governments and the private sector to develop and improve frameworks for organic waste treatment, identify and support sustainable projects, and conduct pre-feasibility studies and MRV systems. 

The project will also assess financial instruments to support the most promising projects, develop implementation plans, and organise workshops with key stakeholders. 

Objectives

This project aims to:

• Increase the knowledge of the Government of Paraguay of opportunities and options for organic waste diversion including their positive impacts.
• Increase the capacity of the Government of Paraguay has to assess and implement SLCP mitigation measures in waste management.
• Improve the waste sector monitoring, reporting and valuation system used by the Government of Paraguay.
• Enable the Government of Paraguay to endorse project proposals/ initiatives for organic waste management using this project as a pilot for submission to public and private funding sources.

Activities

To achieve these objectives the project will:

• Provide pre-feasibility level information on specific organic waste management projects related to their costs, revenues, business model, mitigation potential, co-benefits, and impact on government officers and project developers, including their potential for replicability and scalability. 
• Provide government officials with information on the needed decentralised waste management infrastructure, investment costs, appropriate technologies, recommendations on business models for project sustainability, ownership, and other related information for organic waste diversion.
• Enhance the capacity of key stakeholders to accelerate actions to improve organic waste management and reduce methane SLCP emissions.
• Provide standardised methodologies for measuring GHGs and SLCPs, such as methane emissions in solid waste projects.

Project Reference: [PY-24-002] Paraguay - Actions to improve organic waste management and reduce methane emissions in medium and small communities