Strengthening waste management plans in Guatemala

The project was carried out in coordination with the counterpart designated by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN). The main activities were: 
  

1. Development of a training program: The 340 municipalities of Guatemala were invited to participate in the training program for the preparation of the waste management plans. During this activity, the development of virtual training methodology, implementation of training programs, and report of the actions were carried out. 
2. Provision of additional support: Ten selected municipalities received additional technical support to deepen understanding to develop the waste management plans. The support included virtual meetings to review the concepts of the modules of the training program and follow-ups to review the progress in the documentation of the plan. The assistance was provided within eight weeks. 
3. Training a group of people as facilitators: Trainees included staff from the departmental delegations, regional headquarters, and the MARN to assume the role of point of contact at the regional level and in the central offices of the MARN to coordinate, motivate and provide sustainability to the waste management plans. 
4. Development of a practical guide: The guide on composting as a mitigation option at the municipal level was developed from good international practices of municipal composting. The documentation that the counterpart of the MARN provided was considered in the elaboration of the guide. 
5. Conducting a learning workshop for future actions: A systemized learning workshop was conducted to promote a space for dialogue on the learnings obtained during the preparation of the waste management plans and the training of the facilitators. This workshop involved the ten Municipalities that received additional support to develop the waste management plans, the trained facilitators, and staff from MARN. 

Many cities in developing countries do not have waste management plans. Where management plans and programs do exist, implementing and enforcing the plans is challenging for city administrators. In 2016, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) of Guatemala launched a practical guide for the formulation of municipal plans for the comprehensive management of waste. However, even though a guide had been developed, the municipalities had not received training on how to develop the municipal plans and only two plans had been developed up to 2020. It was necessary to train the municipalities in the development of the waste management plans so they could start taking action to improve the management of waste.