Gender and Waste Nexus: Experiences from Bhutan, Mongolia and Nepal

Bhutan Summary of main findings and policy considerations

The following is a summary of main findings from the gender and waste country analysis for Bhutan, which includes relevant policy considerations. Further to this work, UNEP-IETC and the national partner organizations carried out stakeholder consultations. Annex 5 includes a list of elaborated policy implications summarized after the stakeholder consultations. Women are the main handlers of household waste management. Women are the main caretakers at the household level and are therefore responsible for the management of householdwaste. These responsibilities can hinder women’s full participation in work outside the home. Policy considerations: Research shows that it is easier for women to pursue a career when desired if there is a more gender-equal division of household chores. Awareness-raising campaigns could encourage men to redistribute their time towards housework to achieve a more gender-equal division of household chores. Policies on childcare and maternity/paternity leave for both parents may improve opportunities for women to join the labour force, as well as the working environment for both women and men. Segregation at the source is key to successful waste management. As an important link in waste management, segregation at the source of allmaterials shouldbe taught to both men and women to ensure an efficient waste management sector. However, men and women may have different views on disposing methods, recycling and what is considered waste. More efficient and consistent segregation of waste that is better alignedwith the needs of the entire waste management system will lead to the development of improved waste handling strategies, a reduction in waste and more recycling. Policy considerations: More widespread and consistenteducation, awareness-raisingandadvocacy is required on waste segregation. There is also need for segregation to be meaningful so that segregated waste is not mixed together again at the landfill. As of yet, there has not been an in-depth assessment of the waste sector value chain and notions of this are therefore underestimated and distorted. Food waste composting has huge unlocked potential. Thimphu segregates wet and dry waste, with around half of all household waste being food waste. However, since there is no large-scale composting facility and no further action carried out with the wet waste most Households and communities

of it ends up in the landfill. This means that the value of segregation at the source largely comes from the recycling of dry waste. Policy considerations: Segregation of wet and dry waste at the source should be strictly implemented everywhere. To harness the value of segregated household food waste, possibilities for larger scale composting or energy production from wet waste should be considered. Household food composting capacities could reduce waste and – assuming there are no radical shifts in gender norms – would allow women to have a more formalized, recognized role in waste recycling, while also providing soil inputs for their own gardens. There is no legislation connecting waste and gender issues. Although there are separate legislations on gender andwaste, their individual policies have not been fully implemented. Gender mainstreaming in waste legislation could be beneficial for the effectiveness of waste handling. Policy considerations: Incorporating gender considerations into the waste sector and waste management strategies is urgently needed. The implementation of gender-responsive policies should include monitoring for compliance. Gender-disaggregated data are not collected in a systematicway. There is a lack of clarity regardingwaste generation, the amount of waste segregated, recycled and traded, and who is handling certain processes at all levels of the waste hierarchyy. Policy considerations: Disaggregated statistics in terms of waste and gender may enable policymakers to develop better evidence-based, gender-responsive recommendations. There is also a need to conduct more in-depth research that could inform gender-responsive recommendations and waste strategies. A cost-benefit assessment should be carried out based on the waste sector’s real revenues and economic potential. This should include an assessment of the contribution that paid employment of women could have through fiscal benefits for the municipality and the State. Bhutanese people are diligent leading to a situation when policy implementation is easier than in any other set up. This is aided by the fact that the population is relatively small and that there is great respect for the Policy and governance

74 Gender and waste nexus