Project: A Collaborative Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Project: Recycling Bins and Glass Crusher
State of development: Current
Stage of development: Late stage
Stage notes: Late-Stage Design
Type of instrument — Impact Bond: No; Outcomes Fund: No; Social Impact Incentives (SIINC): Yes; Social Impact Guarantee: No; Payment-by-results (no pre-financing): No; Technical Assistance and Market-building program: No; Other: 
Rationale for using outcome-based finance: "Innovations:
Use mobile recycling units or depots for remote areas lacking transportation access.
Creative educational campaigns using social media, schools, and competitions to engage the public, especially youth.
Recycled art competitions and upcycling initiatives to raise awareness.

Pathways to scale:
Expand geographic recycling coverage across the entire island.
Broaden materials collected as sorting/processing capacity increases.
Increase recycling access points and collection frequency.
Develop local processing of recyclables to minimize export needs.

Financial sustainability:
Introduce disposal fees on non-recycled waste.
Negotiate extended producer responsibility agreements with importers/manufacturers.
Charge for specialised collection services beyond basic recycling.
Revenue from sales of processed recyclable commodities.

Cost considerations:
Take advantage of economies of scale for equipment/shipping with other territories .
Favour decentralised micro-facilities over large centralised investments.
Utilise lower-cost basic equipment that meets minimum functionality.
Develop skills locally through training to avoid expensive expat specialists."
Key challenges to launch: "key pain points preventing further progress on recycling in St Helena include:

Funding constraints - St Helena has limited budget for expanding recycling and relies on external support, which can be inconsistent. Accelerator funding provides crucial investment.

Technical capacity - Running an effective recycling program requires specialized expertise that may be lacking locally. Accelerator can provide technical guidance and connections with partners

Supply chain challenges - As a remote island, St Helena faces high shipping costs and limited materials access. Accelerator can help identify affordable recycling solutions.

Behaviour change - Transitioning toward consistent recycling participation and low contamination rates takes time and education. Accelerator can support creative education campaigns.

Data limitations - Robust waste characterisation and recycling metrics are needed to identify opportunities and track progress. Accelerator can fund needed data collection.

Coordination - Boosting recycling requires alignment across government, businesses, and the public. Accelerator can fund dedicated coordination resources."
Social/developmental challenge: "Negative externalities - Waste disposal creates negative externalities like pollution, environmental damage, and greenhouse gas emissions that are not fully accounted for in market prices. Improved recycling helps reduce these externalities.

Public goods - Environmental protection and climate change mitigation are public goods that are undersupplied by the free market. This project helps provide these public benefits.

Information failures - There may be limited public awareness about the benefits of recycling and sustainable waste management. Educational programs can help address this info gap.

Coordination failures - Establishing efficient recycling requires coordination among various stakeholders that may not happen naturally. This project can help coordinate these efforts.

Under-investment - There is under-investment in recycling infrastructure compared to the social benefits it provides.

Resource constraints - St Helena has limited resources and waste management capacity as a small remote island. The project helps overcome some of these inherent constraints."
Expected intervention model: "Funding to finalise the improved recycling facilities, capacity and education, this project will better empower the people of St Helena to make an ethical choice of waste disposal by offering the first door to door recycling service, extend the life of the Landfill Site (currently estimated to be from ~2027 to ~2050), contribute towards climate change mitigation, the protection of the environmentâs ecosystems, biodiversity as well as sustainable resource use through glass crushing for road services.

St Helena currently relies on shipping for most goods, resulting in limited resources and waste management challenges.
This project builds on previous investments in recycling infrastructure, including recycling bins and a recycling collection vehicle.
It will expand recycling facilities by purchasing additional bins and a glass crusher, as well as implementing educational programs to promote recycling.

The current landfill site has an estimated remaining lifespan of 2027-2050. Improved recycling can help extend this.
Reducing waste saves costs on a new landfill, estimated at Â£4-5 million.

This project aligns with St Helena policy objectives on sustainability, climate change, and waste management. Supports UK commitments to overseas territories on climate change and environmental protection."
Policy sectors — Employment and private sector development: No; Education: No; Social protection: No; Criminal justice: No; Health: No; Agriculture: No; Environment and climate change: Yes; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: No; Energy: No; Humanitarian: No; Early Childhood Education: No; Other: No
Primary SDG goal: 9,13,15
Country income classification of beneficiaries — Low-income: No; Lower-middle-income: No; Upper-middle-income: Yes; High-income: No
Notes: Data for this pipeline project was last updated in August 2023
Delivery location: Saint Helena