Open burning of waste is estimated to cause 14,000 premature deaths a year in Pakistan and could account for a quarter of the nation’s reported carbon emissions, according to recent estimates. Dumped waste is also a major cause of diarrhoeal diseases. A community-based approach to waste management addresses these problems while also creating jobs.
A centre piloting this approach offers ten dollars in benefits for every dollar invested in establishing it, and the centre became self-financing in its third year. This approach reduces the need for more expensive, centralised waste management facilities by up to 90 per cent.
