Through a regional assessment ESCAP identified the decentralized neighbourhood- based compost plants developed by Waste Concern, an NGO in Bangladesh, as an approach that met the above criteria. Adapting this approach, ESCAP and Waste Concern undertook two successful pilot projects in Sri Lanka and Viet Nam.
Building on these prior experiences, the project on "Pro-poor and Sustainable Solid Waste Management in Secondary Cities and Small Towns" is replicating the approach across Asia-Pacific, enabling participating local governments, civil society organizations and organizations of the poor to develop and implement town-wide solid waste management strategies that are financially viable, pro-poor, and low-carbon.