UNDP Management of Plastics Waste and Circular Interventions in South and Southeast Asia

Enriched UN / Multilateral · Found: 2026-03-11 10:59

Three-year multi-country initiative (Nov 2024 - Oct 2027) supported by Coca-Cola Foundation. USD 18.4 million across 10 countries including India. Strengthens plastic waste management systems and empowers informal waste workers.

Source: https://undp.org/asia-pacific/projects/management-plastics-waste-and-circular-interventions-plastics-south-southeast-asia-and-pacific

Funding Details

Funder

UNDP Asia-Pacific / The Coca-Cola Foundation

Funding Goal

Strengthen plastic waste management systems and promote circular economy models across South, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific by upgrading infrastructure, formalizing informal waste workers, and scaling innovative collection and recycling models.

Funding Amount

Total project budget: USD 18,389,000 across 10 countries. Sub-grants available in select countries (e.g., Viet Nam: up to USD 30,000 per organization; Philippines: seed funding for local social enterprises). Country-specific allocations vary (e.g., Sri Lanka: USD 1.1 million). (up to 30.000 €)

Deadline

October 2027 (Rolling)

How to Apply

No single centralized application process. Engage at country level through the relevant UNDP country office (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Maldives, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam, India, Indonesia, Bhutan). UNDP Viet Nam issued an open Call for Proposals for the Plastic Innovation Programme. Monitor UNDP country office websites and announcements for sub-grant calls. Contact regional communications via aminath.mihdha@undp.org for partnership inquiries.

Target Region

South Asia, Southeast Asia, Pacific — Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam

Contact

Aminath Mihdha, Regional Partnerships and Communications Analyst — aminath.mihdha@undp.org

Last Checked

2026-03-11 16:06

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Organization must operate in at least one of the ten target countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, or Viet Nam
• For Philippines seed funding: proposals must support community-based plastic recovery or local social enterprises

Project Scope

• Proposed activities must address plastic waste collection, recycling, circular economy models, or informal waste worker inclusion
• Gender-responsive design is required; projects should demonstrate benefits for women waste workers or vulnerable communities
• Innovative or scalable solutions preferred; the project specifically seeks models that can be replicated across countries

Required Documents

• For Viet Nam sub-grants (up to USD 30,000): submit proposal through UNDP Viet Nam's Plastic Innovation Programme open call
• Contact the relevant UNDP country office to identify partnership or sub-grant opportunities — no single centralized application portal

Constraints

• Activities must be implementable within the project duration (through October 2027)

Summary

The Management of Plastics Waste and Circular Interventions on Plastics in South, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific is a three-year (November 2024 – October 2027) multi-country initiative implemented by UNDP Asia-Pacific and funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation with a total budget of USD 18.389 million. The project operates across ten countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Viet Nam. Its core goals are to recover 63,930 metric tons of plastic waste, improve livelihoods of 135,600 informal waste workers, establish 23 Material Recovery Facilities in seven countries, and implement 30 new business models for plastic waste management. The project combines policy and regulatory strengthening, infrastructure investment, capacity building, and community-based approaches. A key social inclusion strand focuses on integrating informal waste workers — particularly women — into formal systems with safer conditions and access to social protection. Country-level interventions are tailored to local contexts, ranging from urban plastic collection systems in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to waste-return systems at fishing ports in Viet Nam and hospitality sector engagement in Cambodia. Although the overall program is UNDP-implemented rather than an open grant fund, it includes sub-grant mechanisms in certain countries. Notably, UNDP Viet Nam announced a Plastic Innovation Programme calling for proposals for small grants of up to USD 30,000 to organizations with innovative plastic pollution solutions. The Philippines component provides seed funding to local social enterprises. Organizations interested in engaging with the project can approach UNDP country offices or respond to country-level calls for proposals as they are issued. The program emphasizes cross-country knowledge exchange, multi-stakeholder platforms along the plastic value chain, and gender-responsive solutions. Regional cooperation and the adaptation of scalable models to national contexts are central principles, making partnerships with local and international NGOs, CSOs, and social enterprises a key implementation pathway.

Historical Context

Project launched in November 2024. First news coverage of regional partnerships appeared in January 2025. Viet Nam Plastic Innovation Programme call for proposals announced in February 2025. Sri Lanka component (USD 1.1 million, 7 urban councils in Colombo District) announced April 2025. Philippines Weave Out Waste (WOW) program launched September 2025. This appears to be a first-of-its-kind UNDP–Coca-Cola Foundation regional plastic circularity initiative at this scale.

Why it was added

India plastic waste/CSR/circular economy funding

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