CMA

72 remove and segregate 75 000 tons of landfilled waste and showcase integrated waste management solutions. SINTEF was expected to carry out a scientific evaluation/ comparison of three different treatment options for the non-recyclable plastic fraction: 1) Cement kiln, 2) WtE and 3) Thermal power plant. For additional pilots, SINTEF has signed contracts with major cement companies, consultants, and multilateral organisations, to demonstrate the feasibility of handling post- consumer plastic wastes and other NRPW from major cities in Uttar Pradesh and Goa. There have been considerable delays in finalising pilots because of Covid-19 related travel and other restrictions, resulting in reduced activity locally. With easing of travel restrictions, activities will gather pace in 2022-23. Two Master Theses were completed and submitted in July 2021 as a deliverable under the OPTOCE project’s academic collaboration with leading universities in the country. Three Master theses will be funded by the project in academic year 2021-22. SINTEF has co-authored the book “Sustainable Management of Wastes through Co-processing” together with two Indian colleagues. The book was published in November 2021 by Springer, Singapore. This is the world’s first comprehensive book that deals with different aspects of co-processing. SINTEF has been sponsoring and conducting several awareness workshops and specials sessions where topics such as NRPW management options, EU’s green deal and the OPTOCE project, are presented. Academic Collaboration The OPTOCE project, a part of the Norwegian Development Programme to Combat Marine Litter and Microplastics, has launched an Academic Collaboration in our partner countries. The objective of the Academic Collaboration is to build competence on treatment options for Non- Recyclable Plastic Wastes (NRPW) and provide better knowledge about the NRPW situation in the country and the possibility to involve local energy intensive industry to solve waste problems. Parallel MSc-thesis research will be carried out in our partner countries. The OPTOCE project will generally contribute to support all the objectives of the Bangkok Declaration, while this Academic collaboration aims to build capacity, to strengthen research capacity and to support science-based policy and decision making. Some of the topics of the finished and on going studies are • Non recyclable plastic waste (NRPW) generated in cities and municipalities: how much NRPW is generated, how does the informal waste collectors assess recyclable versus non-recyclable and how is the NRPW disposed of. • NRPW in dumpsites/landfills: how much NRPW and which kinds of NRPW are accumulated in dumpsites, and how much/how is it released to nearby waterways/groundwater. • NRPW in landfill/dumpsite mining: how can landfill mining contribute to mitigate the leakage of plastic waste to the ocean, how can quality fuel be produced from the landfill NRPW, and what can be done with the rejects.NRPW in rivers: how can floating materials in rivers, including NRPW, be removed from the rivers and treated in an environmentally sound way. Marine Plastic Abatement The Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand has launched the first postgraduate program on marine plastic litter in the Asia, called Marine Plastic Abatement (MPA) 1 . This programme is supported by the Japanese Government and aims to fund one year MSc- scholarships for many students. OPTOCE is involved in the development of the course curriculum, in teaching and in relevant research and student follow up 2 . Capacity Building Lessons learned from OPTOCE pilot demonstrations and from the academic collaboration will be shared through a regional multi-stakeholder forum, enabling awareness raising, capacity building and replication across the continent. The first forum is planned organised in Bangkok 27-28 October 2022. The aim is to share and discuss experiences, practical applications, research and recent findings and information about current treatment practice for non-recyclable plastic wastes. https://www.ait.ac.th/2020/04/ait-launches-marine-plastic-litter-msc-with-us- 3-mil-japanese-grant/ https://serd.ait.ac.th/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2020/05/FINAL-MPA_26-MAY.pdf