Bhutan produced 17,216 metric tons of solid waste daily, of which 17.1 percent was plastic waste and 31 percent was recyclable. This data is from 2019, collected through the National Waste Inventory Survey. 

Today, the amount of waste generated is expected to be significantly higher than the 2019 numbers. Addressing the growing challenge of plastic waste, in particular, has become increasingly urgent for a country globally renowned for its environmental stewardship. The plastic pollution poses a serious threat to its ecological integrity. The impact on public health is even bigger. 

The challenges surrounding waste management are many. Poor waste segregation and inadequate recycling infrastructure remain among the key hurdles. Now, as the waste challenge escalates, driven by rapid urbanisation and rising consumerism, Bhutan is shifting gears. 

Backed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF), the country has launched a bold initiative to reimagine waste not as a burden, but as a resource.

What is the initiative about?

Unveiled in January, the initiative is working towards embedding the principles of circular economy in Bhutan’s waste management strategy. It marks a decisive move away from the traditional “take-make-dispose” model toward a system that prioritises recycling, reuse, and sustainable production and consumption.

The effort is ambitious and wide-ranging, focusing not only on physical infrastructure and policy reform but also on fostering behavioural change and innovative solutions. 

As part of the initiative, UNDP, in partnership with the Department of Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, World Bank and the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP), is creating a blueprint that would bring a seismic shift in how Bhutan manages waste, involving a multi-sectoral approach.