The European Union–Philippines Partnership for Green Economy Programme (EU-GEPP) aims to support the Philippines in advancing an inclusive, sustainable and circular economy transition. Under the relevant EU-GEPP component addressing circular economy and solid waste management (SWM), Expertise France is supporting the development of SWM and circular economy public-private partnership (PPP) projects with selected Local Government Units (LGUs), in coordination with the PPP Center and other relevant Philippine institutions.

Informal waste workers (IWWs)—including waste pickers, itinerant waste buyers, informal collectors, sorters, junk-shop workers and other informal actors involved in the collection, sorting, aggregation and recovery of recyclable materials—play an important role in the Philippine waste-management and recycling value chain. However, IWWs frequently operate outside formal waste-management arrangements and may face barriers relating to access to waste streams and facilities, transport, markets, equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE), occupational health and safety, social protection, formal recognition and stable income.

The development of new waste-management infrastructure and PPP arrangements may create opportunities to improve the working conditions, productivity and economic participation of IWWs. At the same time, changes to collection, recovery, sorting and disposal arrangements may create risks of displacement of existing informal livelihoods if these are not adequately considered during project development. The integration of IWWs therefore needs to be addressed during the project-development and PPP structuring phase, rather than after the project has been designed and procured.

The assignment will focus on three pilot LGUs:

• Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS);
• Zamboanga City; and
• Iligan City.

The assignment is intended to provide a robust evidence base and practical mechanisms for integrating IWWs into the circular economy and SWM PPP projects being developed in these LGUs. The work shall complement, rather than duplicate, existing studies and initiatives concerning informal waste workers, recycling and solid waste management in the Philippines.

Overall Objective

The overall objective of the assignment is to undertake a diagnostic of the informal waste sector in the three pilot LGUs and translate the findings into practical, inclusive and commercially and institutionally viable mechanisms for integrating IWWs into the relevant circular economy and SWM PPP projects. The assignment shall move beyond a descriptive assessment of IWWs and provide recommendations that can be carried forward into:

·       PPP feasibility studies;

·       Project design;

·       Technical and output specifications;

·       Procurement documentation;

·       PPP/concession arrangements;

·       Project implementation; and

·       Complementary support and capacity-building measures.

Specific Objectives

The assignment shall:

1.     Establish a quantified and appropriately verified baseline of the informal segment of the SWM value chain in each pilot LGU;

2.     Identify and assess the principal actors, organisations, enterprises and support structures operating within or alongside the informal waste sector;

3.     Analyse the economic, operational, social and environmental contribution of IWWs within each LGU's waste-management and recycling system;

4.     Identify LGU-specific constraints, opportunities and risks affecting the participation of IWWs in the future SWM system;

5.     Assess the position and specific needs of women, youth and other potentially vulnerable groups within the informal waste value chain;

6.     Identify and assess feasible models for integrating IWWs into the proposed SWM and circular economy PPP projects;

7.     Develop one preferred inclusion model for each pilot LGU, including institutional arrangements, roles and responsibilities, indicative targets, costs, phasing and monitoring requirements;

8.     Translate the preferred models into draft provisions and requirements that can inform the relevant feasibility studies, procurement documents and PPP/concession arrangements;

9.     Identify and assess displacement risks arising from the proposed PPP project and develop appropriate transition and mitigation measures;

10.  Identify the capacity-building and other support required to make the proposed inclusion models operational;

11.  Where applicable and within the approved EU-GEPP grant architecture, develop the design parameters for a support/sub-grant mechanism to strengthen local organisations supporting IWW integration; and

12.  Validate the proposed models with the relevant LGUs, IWW representatives, PPP Center, Expertise France and other stakeholders and establish clear next steps for carrying the recommendations into project development and procurement.