Lao PDR Pollution and Waste Management Project

The Lao PDR Pollution and Waste Management Project is investing in waste collection equipment, transfer and treatment facilities, while developing a monitoring system to help the government enforce pollution control regulations, increase the accuracy and reliability of air and water quality monitoring stations, and strengthen the legal framework for waste management.

The Lao PDR Environmental Protection Fund and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport are implementing the project from 2025 to 2031as part of a commitment to a cleaner development pathway. The project will upgrade a landfill facility outside Vientiane and provide waste workers with vocational and occupational health and safety training and protective equipment.

The focus on municipal solid waste in Vientiane, the country's capital and largest waste generator, will provide a model for other cities across Laos. Many of those working in the waste sector currently do so informally, and without protection. This project is taking action to give more recognition and improve the working conditions of those providing a vital public function.

With $37.85 million in financing from the World Bank, the project forms part of Laos' National Green Growth Strategy to 2030. Green growth is a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable economic strategy that can boost employment - raising incomes and reducing poverty - while reducing the costs of economic growth on human health and the natural environment.