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Darkhan city has a population of 70,000, with high unemployment. 60-70% of the unemployed are women, and many live on the streets. Waste collection is usually done by the poor, who collect plastic and glass to sell. Frequently, children are also involved, and contribute to the family’s income. Mongolia is a developing country that transformed into a market economy in 19990, with increased importation of consumer goods. Population growth and increased consumption has resulted in significant increase in the volume of waste – currently 43.2 million tons of waste annually, 30-40 percent being plastics. Darkhan waste site is located 7 km from the city and 2 km from the international highway. Plastic bags are dispersed over an area more than 150 hectares, affecting plants and livestock. There are no human or financial resources to manage waste on such a huge territory. There is also shortage of re-processing/recycling factories. Mr. G. Olonbayar, a rural-urban migrant seeking a better life the city, started the Environment-Friendly Products initiative in 2005. He decided to collect garbage and use environment-friendly recycling technology. He initiated the Plastic Bag Partnership with diverse local stakeholders and established a small scale factory for processing plastic bags, bottles and containers. He has installed the equipment and conducted training on recycling technology and methods. The Plastic Bag Partnership collaborates with more than 30 individuals and has more than 100 customers in the private sector. The company produces the covers of plumbing wells, fences, posts, chairs, benches, railways parts and more than 50 kinds of environment friendly products. These products are substitutes for woods and iron, have a guarantee of 50-100 years, and have helped reduce use of wood by 15-20%. The initiative has contributed to improving the environment by reducing the toxic smoke and environmental pollution – the introduced technology reduces the air pollution by 30-40%. So far, 7.392 hectares of land has been cleaned of plastic waste, flatted and cultivated with perennial plants. Another major achievement is the job-creation and income generating possibilities offered to the homeless, poor and marginalized people, especially women. More than 250 people have been employed and over 2,000 deprived families now have an income and have markedly improved their lives. The company has disseminated the waste-processing technology in six cities of Mongolia and in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. The new technology has been registered, approved and issued a patent by the Government. It provides a basis for further detailed studies by science and research centers and environmental authorities of Mongolia. The local Governor’s Office and the related authorities have supported the initiative from the start and it has also been awarded several local, national and international.

Mongolia Darkhan-Uul Aimag San-Orgiu Co.Ltd.
Darkhan City, Darkhan Sum Mangirt Street 2 Ap. Room 48 Darkhan 00976, Mongolia
erdenee617@yahoo.com; Monkh_59@yahoo.com
99190064