Although many industrialised countries across the world have developed and established policies to reduce the amount of waste generated and maximise diversion, there are many countries that still do not manage their solid waste properly and rely on open dumps for the disposal of waste. Developing countries still have a number of issues that need to be resolved related to solid waste management including a lack of political will to deal with the problem, lack of a national policy related to solid waste management, absence of rules and regulations, insufficient funds dedicated to solve the problem, a severe absence of educational programs at all levels, and no policies in place to preserve or create a circular economy.

Through UNICEF, U.S. Embassy, Coca Cola Amatil and FIFA Foundation supported projects across South East Asia, ASA Foundation has integrated sustainable circular economy empowerment activities into inclusive community capacity building, life skills, gender equality and women empowerment education curriculum that involves beneficiaries developing their own sports training equipment from plastic waste, such as bottles and containers, for the Edu-Sports training modules. Waste management education has also been included as part of the programming activities.

Furthermore, we have partnered with plastic waste recycling organisations based in Indonesia (East Java), Thailand (Khon Kaen) and the Philippines (Metro Manila and Mindanao) to produce sports training equipment from recycled plastic waste that will be donated to disadvantaged schools and communities. We are currently searching for new partners to grow this sustainable waste management project across Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.