Networking for Waste Management: Lessons from the WasteEcon Program

1
Networking for Waste Management Lessons from
the Waste-Econ Program

• Virginia W. Maclaren
• Canadian Director, Waste-Econ
• University of Toronto

2
The Waste Econ Program

• Capacity-building for Integrated Waste Management
  and promotion of the Waste Economy in Vietnam,
  Laos and Cambodia
• Funded by the Canadian International Development
  Agency
• 2000-2005
• Lead partners NISTPASS, NSC, RUPP
• 14 partners in SE Asia, 2 in Canada

3
The Waste Econ Program

• Main activities
• Training courses and special topic workshops
• Curriculum development
• Pilot projects
• Partner staff training at University of Toronto,
  AIT
• Canadian student training in SE Asian partner
  countries
• Networking and outreach

4
Why Network?

• Learning from others ideas, implementation
• Justification for new initiatives
• Establish relationships

5
Information Exchange Experience

• Newsletters
• National and international meetings
• Pilot project reports
• Pilot project international exchange visits

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Information Exchange Suggestions

• A hierarchy of exchange networks
• Local
• National
• International

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Information Exchange Suggestions

• Centralized data base on waste-related pilot
  projects, large scale projects and programs in
  the region
• Who is doing what?
• Network partner projects
• Other local projects in each country
• Projects funded by international aid agencies
• Is it working?
• Accessible on-line
• Bulletin board postings
• Time and funding commitment

8
Academic Research on Networks

• Ph.D. research
• The influence of social capital and social
  networks on productivity in paper-recycling
  households of a craft village in Vietnam (Nguyen
  Van Ha)
• Power through social networks and social
  cohesion landfill concerns and community
  responses (Nguyen Quang Tuan)

9
Thank you