Driven by the goal is to create an inclusive ecosystem that integrates plastic waste into a circular economy, ensuring wealth redistribution to vulnerable and marginalized tribal communities dealing with rivers everyday as means to sustain their livelihoods, the concept of Waste Smart Village is introduced. This initiative has connected hotel entrepreneurs, marginalized communities, local municipalities, and waste re-collectors to establish a sustainable system for managing plastic (mainly PET) within the village ensuring clean rivers.  

This is one of the added components under Project CAP realizing the impact of tribal communities in managing the local waste.  

In the “Waste Smart Village,” local tribal communities have been playing a vital role in collecting plastic waste from rivers and surrounding areas. Further to make this effort more structured and organized we coordinated with local hotels and restaurants to partner in this plastic waste management effort. Their contribution would be to provide the consumed and produced plastic PET waste to the community people including Bote and Tharu than to dispose of haphazardly as in their existing process.  

The community will collect, and deposit collected plastics in designated collection nets provided by the project team while. The usage and management of the collection nets was properly briefed and explained during the training. The CREASION’s project team have started visiting these collection sites and collecting the plastic waste and provide financial returns to the collectors. 

This initiative aims to foster environmentally responsible practices for the use and disposal of PET waste, delivering multiple benefits to all stakeholders—from waste generators to collectors and recyclers. By preventing PET waste from entering rivers and integrating it into the product value chain, we aspire to create a sustainable model that enhances community livelihoods while protecting our environment.  

Hotels and enterprises participating in this initiative by donating PET waste to local tribal communities will not only support their livelihoods but also assist recyclers in promoting environmental sustainability. In recognition of their contributions to the local environment and socioeconomic development, these businesses will be awarded standardized Waste Smart Certificates accredited by the Bharatpur Metropolitan City. 

The concept was formally initiated following a multistakeholder meeting held on December 25, 2024, which brought together hotel entrepreneurs, representatives from vulnerable and tribal communities, local government officials, metropolitan city representatives, and people’s representatives. All parties mutually agreed to implement the plan, where the Bote community—local tribal members who regularly interact with rivers—will not only collect PET bottles from the rivers and surrounding areas but also from nearby hotels, storing them in designated collection chambers. Project CAP will oversee the regular collection and purchase of PET items as part of the initiative. The plan has received widespread praise from all stakeholders, with each group committing to full support. Recently, Ms. Aashma Kumari KC, Miss Nepal World 2024, visited the site and expressed her admiration for the project, noting its multifaceted benefits across social, environmental, and economic dimensions. 

The initiative has made significant progress, with 18 households from Bote actively participating. Additionally, 7 hotels are currently involved in the project, contributing to a cleaner environment. So far, a total of 750 kg of waste has been collected through this approach. The sustainability plan focuses on expanding the program by encouraging more hotels to join, ensuring better plastic waste collection and preventing it from ending up in the open environment. By involving more local businesses and households, this effort aims to create a more lasting impact on reducing plastic waste and promoting a cleaner, more sustainable community 

Multi-stakeholder's Meeting PET wastes collected by locals