India Plastics Pollution RFI.pdf

Request for Information USAID/India Plastics Pollution Activity

Reference Number: 72038622RFI00001 Release Date: February 02, 2022 Questions/inquiries Due Date and Time: February 13, 2022, 23:59hrs (India Local Time) RFI Response Due Date and Time: March 01, 2022, 23.59hrs (India Local Time) NAICS Code: 541990 - All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The United States Agency for International Development’s Mission to India (USAID/India) is in the process of gathering information to support an anticipated design for a new USAID/India Ocean Plastics Activity, as described in Attachment 1.

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to solicit comments/suggestions in order to incorporate new, innovative solutions into a solicitation or notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) to address ocean plastic pollution and solid waste management in India should USAID decide to issue either one. By issuing this RFI, USAID/India aims to consult with the broad community of private sector actors, public institutions, development partners, non-governmental organizations, industry associations, think tanks and academia, concerned with plastic pollution and solid waste management in India. Please see Attachment 1 for more details.

This RFI neither constitutes a solicitation, NOFO, or a Request for Application (RFA), nor does it commit USAID to issue one or to make an award. Please note that responding to this RFI will not give any advantage to or preclude any organization or individual from any solicitation, NOFO, or RFA that may be subsequently issued. USAID will not pay for any costs associated with responding to this RFI and information received will become the property of USAID and can be made public. Therefore, information that cannot be shared should not be submitted.

Any future solicitations or funding opportunities for the new Ocean Plastics Activity will be announced on the Federal Business Opportunities website at www.fbo.gov or at www.grants.gov at a later date. USAID/India is not seeking technical or cost applications/proposals at this time.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted by email to vvats@usaid.gov with a copy to indiarco@usaid.gov no later than the date and time shown above. Please include RFI number “72038622RFI00001” and Title of activity “Plastics Pollution Activity” in the subject line and use the format provided in Attachment 1, Section II. RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS. Responders will not receive individualized feedback. All inquiries concerning this RFI must be directed only to the email address identified above by the due date and time cited above. Hard copy submissions will not be accepted nor will phone inquiries be entertained. This Notice is available at www.beta.sam.gov and www.grants.gov. We look forward to receiving your comments.

Best regards, Cheryl Hodge-Snead Agreement/Contracting Officer, USAID/India mailto:vvats@usaid.gov mailto:indiarco@usaid.gov http://www.beta.sam.gov http://www.grants.gov

Attachment 1 - Background and Response Requirements

I. BACKGROUND

In 2020, the United States Congress passed the Save our Seas 2.0 Act, which calls on the United States Government to increase its international efforts to reduce land-based sources of ocean plastic pollution. Roughly 11 million metric tons (Mt) of plastic waste leaks into the ocean annually, much of which comes from mismanaged solid waste on land. Plastic waste not only presents an immediate threat to marine wildlife and ecosystems, but this global challenge also has implications for major industries such as fishing and tourism, impacting the livelihoods of millions of people. The drivers and impacts of ocean plastic pollution also contribute to global challenges in food security, human health, and climate change.

To date, USAID has had three primary ocean plastic pollution programs and partnerships:

● Municipal Waste Recycling Program (2016 - 2021), which worked primarily through small grants to reduce land-based sources in Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.

● Clean Cities, Blue Ocean (2019 - 2024), USAID’s global flagship program, which works in Peru, Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam.

● Circulate Capital Partnership (2019 - present), a blended-finance partnership with impact investor Circulate Capital to catalyze investment in the recycling value-chain in South and Southeast Asia, including India.

India is considered to be one of the leading plastics polluters in the world, with estimates ranging from 3.6 million Mt of plastic waste produced per year to 26 million Mt of plastic1 waste produced per year . The Central Pollution Control Board states that per capita waste2 generation has nearly doubled in the country between 2016-2020. While the quantum plastic waste increases, the plastics industry is growing even more rapidly, with plastic consumption growing at more than 16% annually, compared to 10% in China and 2.5% in the UK . India's packaging sector is considered to be the fifth largest in the world, with3 much of this comprising single-use plastics and multi-layered plastic packaging. At the same time, solid waste management remains a significant challenge with widespread open dumping and poorly managed landfills.

USAID/India intends to leverage its long-standing presence in the country and its reputation as an honest broker and convener to deliver high-quality technical assistance through a

3 BPF, 2011

2 Borrelle et al. 2020, Science.

1 CPCB Annual Report 2021 https://urban-links.org/project/municipal-waste-recycling-program-mwrp/ https://urban-links.org/project/ccbo/ https://urban-links.org/project/circulate-capital/ new Ocean Plastics Activity. Building on USAID’s past and current programming on ocean plastic pollution and solid waste management, this new Activity will work to reduce land-based sources of ocean plastic pollution in India through integrated approaches of capacity building for municipal solid waste management services, catalysing investment in innovations and alternatives to single-use plastics, behavior change, and policy support to the Government of India (GOI) and state and local governments.

USAID/India is considering the following areas for potential engagement:

1. Supporting improved solid waste management infrastructure and capacity.

Urban local bodies (ULBs) do not have sufficient technical and financial resources to effectively manage solid waste and are often unable to raise sufficient revenue from solid waste functions. ULBs are also known to lack sufficient data infrastructure to enable data-driven plans and implementation. To this end, opportunities for engagement include increasing the capacity of ULBs to provide professionalized solid waste management services at the city level by improving financing and revenue generation, improving governance and operations through training and technical assistance, and improving management information systems to improve logistics of waste management.

2. Incentivizing investments in innovations and alternatives to single-use plastic.

The challenge of plastic pollution cannot be addressed solely through conventional public service approaches. Given the scale of the challenge in India, there is a need and an opportunity to harness India's robust research and development (R&D) sector and incentivize private and public financing and investment in locally-developed innovations, such as for processing multi-layer plastic packaging, identifying high-quality biodegradable packaging, upcycling and creating markets for recycled materials, etc.

3. Reducing demand for single-use plastic through behavior change programs.

Sustained social and behavior change (SBC) is at the core of increasing the quality and volume of materials collected for recycling and reducing the demand for single use plastics (SUP). The effectiveness of awareness raising, education and outreach activities is dependent on a deep understanding of people’s attitudes, priorities, and current behavior toward SWM and the 3Rs and what they are willing to do to change this behavior, not just one time, but on a regular basis. Given India’s considerable youth population and history with national behavior change campaigns (e.g. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan), opportunities include identifying evidence-based activities to catalyze SBC.

4. Strengthening equitable service delivery

India is estimated to have at least four million informal waste collectors (IWCs), who are projected to recover >25 times the quantity of plastic waste than formal public waste collection systems. They operate largely under poor working conditions and disproportionately comprise women, youth, and those belonging to certain castes.

Ensuring greater transparency, formal recognition, equity and inclusiveness will be vital to harnessing the full potential of IWCs across India. Opportunities include learning from and scaling existing models of success across various cities to improve livelihoods of those across the solid waste management value chain.

5. Supporting evidence-based and feasible policy initiatives.

GoI has supported efforts to combat plastic pollution, including the plastic waste management rules, support for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, and the Prime Minister’s goal to ban single-use plastic nationwide in 2022.

Nevertheless, opportunities exist for ensuring that policies are evidence-based, grounded in local realities, and can be enforced by ULBs.

USAID/India aspires to work together with GoI and other key stakeholders in a transparent and accountable manner to further advance public and private sector capacity to improve solid waste management, identify innovations in plastic recycling, and reduce demand for single-use plastic, all with the end goal of reducing ocean plastic pollution. USAID is keen to draw on the expertise and resources of GoI, USG, the private sector, financial institutions, academia, civil society organizations, and like-minded partners.

II. RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS

Responses should include the following:

1. Cover page, not to exceed one (1) page, that includes:

a. Organization name and address

b. Point of contact name and contact information

c. Brief statement of interest and capability that indicates (i) the organization’s level of interest in partnering with USAID on a potential oceans plastics Activity and (ii) whether the organization has worked on plastics or solid waste management projects, in what focal areas, and in what capacity.

2. Please share information on how USAID/India can best provide the support needed to address ocean plastic pollution in the Indian context. In your responses to the questions below, please provide any relevant sources for the information, including peer-reviewed or grey literature, expert opinion, project evaluation reports, and other documents.

Respondents are free to answer any or all of the questions below [5 pages max.

excluding the cover page].

(1) How would you prioritize the key plastic pollution challenges in India by different geographies (regions, states, cities), based on your or your organization’s experience in the sector?

(2) What recommendations can you provide to overcome plastic pollution challenges in India while considering inclusion, equity, and diversity objectives, mainstreaming gender, and promoting locally-led development? Please include approaches your organization has already implemented and/or novel approaches, as well as the context.

(3) Are the five areas of potential engagement outlined in Attachment 1 adequate and feasible for addressing the challenge of ocean plastic pollution in the Indian context?

What are your recommendations for further refinement of these options?

(4) What specific opportunities should USAID/India prioritize to bridge current gaps in addressing ocean plastic pollution in the country, and why? In your response, please consider the economic, political and social realities of India and how they may affect the feasibility of pursuing such opportunities.

(5) What regulatory and/or financial reforms may be required for India to sustainably improve recycling and solid waste management to meet the potential national single-use plastic ban and other regulations, as well as the overall objective of reducing ocean plastic pollution?

(6) What are some of the most promising technologies and innovations in plastics recycling or plastic alternatives with potential for scale-up in India?

(7) Who are critical stakeholders you recommend that USAID engage with to better understand the challenges of plastic pollution and explore innovative solutions?

No other documents or information are requested at this time. USAID asks respondents to not send any additional information other than what is requested above and to kindly adhere to the page limits mentioned.