China Plastic Waste Tender

Project ID P174267Region East asia and pacificThe proposed project will produce notable social benefits to a broader society via system improvement to reduce plastic waste load to the environment and waterways. Implementing the national policy component and other TAs under Component 1 2 and 4 would have much broader social effects than physical investment activities. The social risks and impacts are mainly related to ESS2 ESS4 ESS5 and ESS10. The project will involve land acquisition and involuntary resettlement associated with the construction of relevant physical facilities. In the case of a recycling park or a landfillthere would be hundreds of people affected by land acquisition and resettlement. By contrast the land acquisition for waste storage and transfer stations may affect fewer persons. The project will accumulatively involve many direct workers contracted workers and primary supply workers. Most of the introduced workers usually from local areas would be responsible for waste collection and waste sorting. Significant labor risks would be related to workplace OHS issues if it is not well managed. Other social risks such as child labor and forced labor GBV issues are deemed either negligible or low risk. The project will bring significant risks to community health and safety both real and perceived because of increased traffic volumes inappropriate handling of hazardous wastes disproportionate health impacts on affected communities and vulnerable groups by large treatment facilities. Various stakeholders will have an interest in and influence on solid plastic waste management projects. The vulnerable group would refer to waste pickers the poor households ethnic minorities if any migrant workers among others. Especially a magnitude of subprojects especially landfills recycling parks located close to local communities may rise to a limited degree of social conflict over sitting waste treatment facilities perceptions of community endangerment and non-receipt of benefits. Meaningful and continuing stakeholder engagement at an early stage of the project preparation will help refine the project designs and formulate proactive measures to reduce significant social risks. The relevance of ESS7 will be further assessed when the project participating provincescities are determined during preparation.