About the project
The Asia-Pacific Plastic Waste Project (APPWP), implemented by the WCO Secretariat and funded by the Government of Japan from April 2020 to June 2023, aimed to strengthen the capacity of Customs administrations to mitigate and appropriately respond to environmental threats in the Asia-Pacific region. More specifically, focus was placed on the implementation of the Basel Convention, and specifically on matters related to plastic waste and their illegal shipment thereof.
The project was implemented from April 2020 – March 2022 (phase I) and was extended from April 2022 to June 2023 (phase II).
The project beneficiaries were the Customs Administrations of:
- Vietnam
- Indonesia
- Philippines
- Sri Lanka
Within the second phase of the project, the following Customs Administrations were additional beneficiaries of the project:
- Thailand
- Lao PDR
- Cambodia
- Malaysia
and Australia as an observer.
Project aims
- Enhancing Customs officers’ capacities to deal with illegal plastic waste.
- Enhancing Customs to Customs cooperation.
- Promoting a regional approach for the cross-border trade in plastic waste and recyclables.
- Providing capacity building.
Project activities and deliverables
- Diagnostic missions in the beneficiary countries to assess Members’ practices in dealing with the transboundary movements of plastic waste.
- National implementation plans for the beneficiary countries.
- Development of capacity-building materials.
- Online country factsheets on rules and procedures for cross-border plastic trade.
- Organization of national workshops anda regional training in cooperation with other international organizations.
- Regional action plan for the cross-border trade in plastic waste and recyclables.
A Regional Plastic Waste Conference to create awareness and chart a way forward for mitigating the risks associated with plastic waste, was held from 24 to 25 February 2022. A high-level Regional Plastic Waste Workshop was held in May 2023 to conclude the Project, and recommendations were provided for the Asia-Pacific (A/P) region through a Regional Action Plan on plastic waste.