The city of Manta generates nearly 250 tonnes of solid waste per day, of which only 2 per cent is currently recycled. Most of the waste is sent to a landfill site that has been in operation since the 1990s and no longer meets current technical standards. In response to these environmental, social and operational challenges, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), through its ‘Too Good to Waste’ programme, is supporting the municipality in developing a comprehensive strategy to improve solid waste management.

The pre-feasibility study identified the most appropriate technical, institutional and social solutions to modernise the service, increase waste recovery, improve processing conditions and promote the inclusion of informal waste pickers within the waste management system.

Type of services provided

• Assessment and characterisation of solid waste generation.

• Optimisation of collection, street-cleaning, recovery and final disposal services.
• Pre-feasibility study of waste recovery schemes.
• Pre-feasibility study of a controlled landfill site and the closure/redevelopment of the existing landfill.
• Development of a short-, medium- and long-term roadmap.
• Development of a social inclusion plan for waste pickers.

The municipality of Cuenca, through its public enterprise EMAC EP, has launched an ambitious programme aimed at improving the performance and sustainability of its solid waste management system. This transformative project combines the expansion of disposal capacity, the development of new recycling streams, the improvement of existing infrastructure and the strengthening of environmental awareness initiatives.

The feasibility study, funded by the AFD, assessed the programme’s relevance and its technical, environmental, social and financial viability, whilst defining an investment roadmap to support the sector’s transformation. The approach adopted covered the entire waste management chain, from collection through to recovery and final treatment, whilst taking into account climate, environmental, social and gender issues.

Type of services provided

• Institutional, regulatory and organisational assessment of the waste sector.

• Technical, financial, environmental and social feasibility studies.
• Identification of investment needs and prioritisation of waste management and recovery infrastructure.
• Assessment of treatment, recycling and circular economy solutions.
• Analysis of the programme’s economic and financial viability (CAPEX/OPEX).
• Conducting environmental, climate and social studies.
• Gender analysis and development of a dedicated action plan.
• Development of the operational roadmap and implementation timetable.
• Support for project governance, drafting of procedures and a communication plan.

The city of Loja, which has a population of over 215,000, is facing significant shortcomings in its sewerage system. Currently, less than 40 per cent of the wastewater collected is channelled to the treatment plant, whilst a significant proportion is discharged directly into the watercourses running through the city. This situation poses risks to public health, the environment and residents’ quality of life.

In order to bring about a sustainable improvement in sanitation services in the western part of the city, the Decentralised Autonomous Municipal Government of Loja (GAD-M) has launched a project to modernise the infrastructure and has sought support from the French Development Agency (AFD) to update the technical studies, master plans and financial estimates produced previously.

Type of services provided

• Diagnosis and assessment of the wastewater collection system in the western part of the city.

• Carrying out feasibility studies and designing the future sanitation system.
• Conducting a simplified environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) and drawing up the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP).
• Preparing tender specifications for the final studies, analysing contract templates and drawing up the project implementation schedule.

Project to evaluate, assess and conduct pre-feasibility studies on water sources, treatment processes and water supply systems for the city of Manta, Ecuador for a design period of 40 years.