The ASCC (Asia Smart City Conference 2025), held from November 25–27, 2025 in Yokohama, one of the valued partners of the World Bank Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC), convened urban leaders, national governments, development partners, and private sector innovators under the theme “Towards a Circular Society.” As one of Asia’s leading platforms for urban innovation and collaboration, ASCC 2025 underscored the growing urgency for cities to transition toward circular systems that address climate change, public health, and livability.
Against this backdrop, the TDLC played an active role throughout the conference. Christoph Pusch, Program Manager of TDLC, delivered remarks at the official opening ceremony alongside Yokohama City leadership and development partners and emphasized the importance of circular economy approaches for sustainable and livable cities.
A Focused TDLC Session on Urban Waste and Circularity
Within ASCC’s rich program, TDLC hosted a dedicated session titled “Scalable Urban Responses to Waste for Advancing Circularity in Asia.” Focusing on how cities across Asia can move beyond linear waste management systems and adopt scalable, inclusive, and data-driven approaches to circularity.
A central highlight of the session was the exclusive preview of What a Waste 3.0, the World Bank’s forthcoming flagship report and most comprehensive global data repository on municipal solid waste (MSW). The preview was delivered by Kremena Ionkova, Global Lead on Waste Management and Circularity at the World Bank, with a particular focus on Asia’s rapidly evolving urban context.
Key Messages from What a Waste 3.0
The preview presentation showcased the scale and urgency of the challenge. Without decisive action, global municipal solid waste generation is projected to increase by nearly 50 percent by 2050, with the fastest growth occurring in low and middle-income countries. The presentation highlighted persistent disparities in waste collection coverage and controlled disposal, the dominance of food waste in the global waste stream, and the escalating environmental and climate risks associated with mismanagement of urban waste.
Kremena emphasized that urban waste is the most visible byproduct of economic development activities, while it is the most underestimated threat to the cities and to humans’ future. She concluded the presentation calling for immediate actions by city leaders, highlighting that achieving circularity requires integrated urban waste systems—linking upstream waste prevention, segregation at source, recycling and recovery, sustainable financing, and enabling policy frameworks.
City Experiences from Uzbekistan, the Philippines, and Pakistan
The session complemented the global perspective with city-level experiences from Uzbekistan, the Philippines, and Pakistan, illustrating how different urban contexts are translating circular economy principles into practice.
Uzbekistan presented the Yangiyul PET recycling pilot, which combines neighborhood Eco Hubs with a digital platform to support segregation at source, integrate informal waste workers, and establish a closed-loop bottle-to-bottle recycling system.
The Philippines highlighted Metro Manila’s efforts to address low compliance with waste segregation and high collection and transport costs through a mix of centralized and decentralized materials recovery facilities, mobile recovery units, and community-based programs aimed at driving behavioral change.
Pakistan showcased Karachi’s Solid Waste Emergency and Efficiency Project (SWEEP), supported by the World Bank, focusing on closing open dumpsites, developing modern transfer stations and sanitary landfills, and laying the groundwork for waste-to-energy and biogas solutions through public–private partnerships and carbon finance.
Across all cases, speakers emphasized that institutional coordination, sustainable financing, digital solutions, and community engagement are essential to scaling circular economy solutions in rapidly growing cities.
Engaged Discussion on Policy and Technology Choices
The session concluded with an interactive Q&A session, during which participants raised questions on the relationship between income levels and waste generation, emerging waste streams such as batteries from electric vehicles, and the role of waste-to-energy (WtE) in cities facing high collection costs.
In response, the session highlighted that WtE should be approached as part of an integrated waste management system rather than a standalone solution. Furthermore, that the World Bank is currently preparing technical notes to support policymakers and practitioners with practical guidance on WtE planning, financing, and implementation.
Advancing the Circular Cities Agenda
By combining global data, regional analysis, and city-level case studies, the TDLC session positioned urban waste management as a strategic entry point for advancing circularity in Asia. The exclusive preview of the What a Waste 3.0 report reinforced the World Bank’s commitment to supporting cities with evidence-based insights and scalable solutions as they navigate the transition toward more resilient, inclusive, and circular urban futures.