On 4 December 2025, the ASEAN Municipal Solid Waste Management Enhancement (AMUSE) Project, hosted its “Regional Closing and Dissemination Workshop” in Jakarta, Indonesia in cooperation with ASEAN. The event gathered representatives from government agencies, municipalities, and regional partners to reflect on achievements in advancing sustainable, gender-responsive waste management practices in medium-sized tourist cities across Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The event opened with a session titled “Inclusive Waste Management and Sustainable Tourism at the Municipal Level: Achievements, Lessons Learned, and Impact Stories”. This featured pilot city champions, who shared their experiences and good practices from the AMUSE pilot cities. They emphasised practical solutions as well as inclusive approaches that empower women and vulnerable groups to strengthen municipal solid waste management in tourism destinations.

Dr Vacharaporn Soonsin from the Sustainable Environment Research Institute (SERI)at Chulalongkorn University, shared her experience of extracting and transforming good practices from Nan and Yasothon provinces into training curriculum and guidelines in order to scale up good practices in other cities. She emphasized that “mapping waste flows and engaging local stakeholders are the foundation”. A notable best practice is the community-driven tourism waste campaign in Nan, which strengthens communication to support the separation and reduction of solid waste at source.

In the session entitled “Cross-sectoral Dialogues and Private Sector Engagement at the National Level: Achievements and Lessons Learned,” Pakarat Pengsawat, Head of the Sustainable Urban Environment Management Promotion Section at the Department of Climate Change and Environment (DCCE) shared recommendations on how to enhance public–private partnerships in tourism waste management. “I think we should begin with understanding the needs and challenges of tourism businesses to design the right measures. Moreover, since public officials are not familiar with entrepreneurship, marketing or business models, it would be important to equip them with that knowledge so that they can support the needs of the private sector.”

Mr. Vicharana Intrakamhaeng, Director of Municipal Solid Waste Subdivision, the Pollution Control Department,noted that sustaining regional cooperation is essential for continuing progress. “The most significant challenge is ensuring the sustainability of these projects or case studies, and in extracting lessons learned that can be adapted or developed into manuals or guidelines for ASEAN Member States to utilise via a continuously updated information platform.” he said.

Looking ahead, the partners agreed to build on the outcomes of the AMUSE project at local, national, and regional levels. Cities will further scale up successful solutions in waste collection, recycling, and citizen engagement, to ensure that communities and tourism businesses continue to benefit from improved practices. National agencies will develop on enabling policies, including EPR and public–private collaboration, to reinforce long-term change. At the regional level, stakeholders committed to maintaining knowledge exchange and expanding cooperation on circular economy initiatives. This will ensure that the AMUSE legacy continues to drive innovation and sustainable waste management in ASEAN’s tourist cities.