23 March 2013: The Fourth Regional 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) Forum in Asia and the Pacific convened in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, from 18-20 March 2013, addressing the theme of “3Rs in the Context of the Rio+20 Outcomes – The Future We Want.” The meeting focused on waste minimization, reuse and recycling issues in various sectors, including agriculture, industry and energy. It also adopted the Ha Noi 3R Declaration, which sets out 30 waste management goals to be achieved by 2023.

Organized by the UN Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), the Ministry of Environment, Japan, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Viet Nam, the meeting was attended by representatives from 31 Asia-Pacific countries.

The key outcome of the meeting, titled “HaNoi 3RDeclaration ‐ Sustainable 3RGoals for Asia for 2013‐2023,” outlines goals for waste management in urban, industrial and rural areas, to be achieved between 2013-2023, addresses new and emerging wastes and cross-cutting issues, and includes a set of core indicators.

On municipal solid waste, goals include reducing the quantity of waste generated, fully utilizing organic waste and increasing the rate of recycling. On industrial waste, the Declaration includes goals on greening the supply chain and on industrial symbiosis, whereby waste from one industry is used as a resource in another. It also agrees to proper classification and inventory of hazardous waste, as a basis for industrial waste management.

Regarding rural areas, the Declaration includes goals on reducing losses in the food supply chain, and promoting the full-scale use of agricultural biomass and livestock waste. On new and emerging wastes, the Declaration sets goals to: address plastics in the marine and coastal environment; ensure environmentally-sound management of e-waste; undertake enforcement regarding illegal and inappropriate export and import of waste; progressively implement extended producer responsibility; and promote 3R in healthcare waste management.

The goals also address cross-cutting issues, such as: promoting green jobs; raising public awareness for behavior change; and phasing out harmful subsidies that favor unsustainable use of raw materials, water and energy. Other cross-cutting issues captured in the goals include: promotion of “3R+R,” for the “return” of waste from islands where recycling is not feasible; elimination of dumping in oceans; and elimination of illegal child labor in the informal waste sector.

Government representatives from the following countries attended the Forum: Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, the Republic of Korea, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Maldives, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Viet Nam. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [3R Forum Website] [Joint Press Release] [Ha Noi 3R Declaration]