Japan as a strategic ally for the future development of the Colombian Waste Management System
- cámara colombo japonesa
- Aug 28, 2025
- 6 min read
Currently, little is said about the disproportionate amounts of waste generated by the contemporary lifestyle of large cities and high levels of consumerism, and even less about the effects of its mismanagement. Once used, little is really considered about what happens to this waste and what its fate will be.
By: Natalia Salazar. International Relations Intern, CCJCI.
A Complex Landscape
Colombia, in particular, generates more than 12 million tons of waste annually, of which approximately 2 million are recycled, while the remainder ends up in landfills and, in the worst cases, directly in the environment, contaminating land, water, and air (Foro Semana, 2025). This landscape has brought the Colombian Waste Management System (SGRC) to the brink of collapse, as this dependence on landfills has resulted in sites across the country that are close to or have already exhausted their useful life, as shown in the image (Foro Semana, 2025).
Additionally, considering other flaws in the SGRC, such as: Insufficient recycling infrastructure, the existence of open-air dumps, limited innovation and technology, poor coordination between institutions, high dependence on the informal sector, poor civic culture, poor coverage in rural areas (CONPES 3478), among others, creates a complex picture that requires multiple changes in the short, medium and long term, considering that the rate of waste generation will not decrease but, on the contrary, will increase.
Colombia has sought to move toward comprehensive waste management
As a result of this complex situation, Colombia has embarked on a path toward environmentally responsible waste management, going beyond the collection and disposal of waste in one location and focusing its efforts on its recovery and subsequent reincorporation into the production chain (Caballero, 2021; Badenier, 2025). As a result, the country has established a national recycling goal of 17.9% by 2030 (CONPES, 2018).
At the national level, this transition has been manifested in projects such as the National Circular Economy Strategy (2019), which outlines actions that will facilitate the adoption of a circular economy model for the country; innovation in regulatory mechanisms; economic incentives for companies and ventures related to this economic model; research and training; international cooperation; construction of an information system; and finally, the strengthening of civic culture. Likewise, there is the National Development Plan (2022-2026), which proposes concepts such as resilient cities and habitats, which seeks to promote technological alternatives for sustainable waste disposal. It also includes strategic projects with a regional impact, such as the technological and environmental park for the use of solid waste in northern Cauca, in Puerto Tejada.
In line with the above, at the international level, within the framework of COP21 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Colombia committed in 2015 to reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20% by 2030. Key sectors such as waste management were considered, as this is a significant source of GHG (CONPES 3874). Additionally, Colombia is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (2030), among which is number 12(5): "significantly reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, utilization, treatment, and reuse."
Colombia Needs Strategic Alliances
While this sounds promising on paper, the materialization of these plans requires much more than good intentions. As with other industries, the waste management sector requires investment, technological innovation, qualified human capital, knowledge, among others, that help promote a new management model where waste is perceived as a valuable resource for the economy (Pablo Badenier in Foro Semana, 2025).
However, meeting these requirements for a developing country like Colombia, which faces other problems that capture greater political attention and funding, such as armed conflict, drug trafficking, poverty, among others, is not always so easy to do alone. As stipulated in the National Circular Economy Strategy, international cooperation, especially the establishment of strategic alliances, is seen as a key element, as it could help overcome the aforementioned shortcomings faced by the SGRC more quickly and effectively.
Japan could be a valuable input for integrated waste management in Colombia
Although Colombia, particularly Bogotá, participated in the 2012 Study Project for the Integrated Solid Waste Management Master Plan for Bogotá, D.C., the Japanese government provided technical assistance to the Colombian government to develop a waste management master plan. It would be interesting to regain this momentum and find new areas where the Japanese experience can serve as a valuable input, especially now that Colombia has developed new initiatives such as the National Circular Economy Strategy and the Zero Waste Program.
Japan has extensive and pioneering experience in waste management, which is valuable for Colombia's journey toward economic circularity. This experience is crucial in areas such as the use of appropriate and effective technologies that are adaptable to different local conditions, waste recovery, collaboration with the private sector, innovation, specialized knowledge, citizen engagement, and so on (Moshkal, Akhapov, & Ogihara, 2024). Furthermore, Japan has extensive experience in international cooperation in waste management through projects such as J-PRISM and ACCP.
J-PRISM and ACCP: Technology Transfer
Japan, together with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has a program called the Project for the Promotion of Regional Initiatives for Solid Waste Management (J-PRISM) (2013), with an initial focus on the Pacific islands. This project essentially sought to strengthen solid waste management mechanisms in these islands and make them compatible with their local capacities, in addition to promoting the regional exchange of know-how (JICA), as Japanese experts were sent to these islands to train local human capital (Kano & Honda, 2013). In parallel, there is the “Africa Clean Cities Platform” (ACCP), a joint project between 24 African countries, the Japanese Ministry of Environment, JICA, the City of Yokohama, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). This platform is essentially a space where not only know-how is exchanged but also investments in waste are promoted with the aim of supporting the continent in achieving the SDGs (ACCP, 2025).
Under both J-PRISM and ACCP, the beneficiaries of this project—Samoa and Ethiopia, respectively—saw the transformation of existing open-air dumps into a Fukuoka-type semi-aerobic sanitary landfill, known as the Fukuoka method (SPREP & JICA, 2010; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, 2023). This method, developed by Fukuoka University in 1970, showed that in the presence of oxygen: the decomposition of waste in a landfill was faster due to the activation of certain microorganisms; the quality of the leachate was better and the emission of gases such as methane was lower (SPREP & JICA, 2010).
(SPREP & JICA, 2010. Transition from open dumpsite to sanitary landfill [2002–2009], Tafaigata Landfill, Samoa).
Considering that Colombia is facing a critical situation, with numerous open-air dumps still in place and landfills at the limits of their capacity or useful life, the Fukuoka method represents a valuable opportunity for the SGRC. On the one hand, this method does not entail additional costs, as it involves installing leachate collection pipes (i.e., those with perforations), made of various materials, at the bottom of the landfill to introduce outside air (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2023). Furthermore, accelerating waste decomposition can help extend the useful life of landfills by reducing the volume of waste more quickly (Kizuna, 2025).
Exchange of knowledge and experiences
In 2023, the World Bank's Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC) conducted an exposure mission to Indonesian government officials, where they were exposed to Japanese best practices in waste management (World Bank, 2023). One of these is the synergy that has been established between the Japanese private sector and the SGRJ. For example, the J&T Recycling Corporation owns a plastics recycling plant that has successfully processed this material into rainwater storage tanks (World Bank, 2023).
Likewise, there is the rigorous waste segregation policy that the city of Kitakyushu has incorporated, to the point where its residents separate their waste into 15 to 21 types to ensure its reincorporation into the product cycle (World Bank, 2023). This latter policy is of particular importance to the Colombian experience, as there is currently a low level of segregation at source. That is, most Colombian households do not usually separate waste, at least liquid from solid waste, in their homes. This causes potentially recyclable materials, when contaminated, to end up in landfills where their potential value is lost (Foro Semana, 2025).
It's important to start by taking small steps.
While Colombia could incorporate more complex technologies—that is, those that go beyond waste management at a final disposal site, such as incineration technologies—this would be primarily a long-term consideration because international cooperation in this area is not only about bringing technology but also about exchanging knowledge, training local experts, developing the capacity to manage high maintenance costs, among other things.
Bibliography
Agencia de Cooperación Internacional del Japón (JICA) & Unidad Administrativa Especial de Servicios Públicos (UAESP). (2013). Proyecto de estudio del plan maestro para el manejo integral de residuos sólidos en Bogotá, D.C. – Informe final. Volumen I: Resumen (Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd.; EX Research Institute Ltd., consultores). https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/12126868.pdf
Banco Mundial (2023). Indonesia learns from Japan’s solid waste management sector. Tokyo Development Learning Center. The World Bank website.
Caballero, A. N. (2021). Análisis de la gestión de residuos sólidos en Colombia (Especialización en Planeación Ambiental y Manejo de Recursos Naturales). Universidad Militar Nueva Granada. https://repository.umng.edu.co/server/api/core/bitstreams/f909739c-a8df-46a5-8d52-d1cc4422aa0f/content
Consejo Nacional de Política Económica y Social [CONPES]. (2007). Política nacional de producción más limpia (Documento CONPES 3478). Departamento Nacional de Planeación. https://colaboracion.dnp.gov.co/CDT/Conpes/Econ%C3%B3micos/3478.pdf
Departamento Nacional de Planeación [DNP]. (2023). Plan Nacional de Desarrollo 2022–2026: Colombia, potencia mundial de la vida. Bogotá, Colombia: DNP. https://colaboracion.dnp.gov.co/CDT/Prensa/PND_2022-2026.pdf
Kano, H., & Honda, S. (2013). J-PRISM: A case study of regional mutual learning and discovery towards an effective solid waste management in the Pacific (Chapter 10). En: Tackling global challenges through triangular cooperation (págs. 1–21). Japan International Cooperation Agency. https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/12126868.pdf
Moshkal, Madina & Akhapov, Yerlan & Ogihara, Atsushi. (2024). Sustainable Waste Management in Japan: Challenges, Achievements, and Future Prospects: A Review. Sustainability. 16. 7347. 10.3390/su16177347
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