Addressing Ocean Plastics in Peru

ISSUANCE DATE: January 10, 2022 CLOSING DATE: Thursday, February 10, 2022, 5:00 pm (Lima Local Time) SUBJECT: Request for Information (RFI) - Design of a new activity entitled "Addressing Ocean Plastics in Peru." Please email responses to limasolicitations@usaid.gov and asoh@usaid.gov. Reference the email with the subject title "Response to RFI No. 72052722RFI00002 - Addressing Ocean Plastics in Peru." The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback on the activity proposed in the outline below. The U.S Agency for International Development (USAID)/Peru may use feedback and comments from this RFI to refine the approach and focus areas for a potential future Solicitation/funding opportunity. If a Solicitation/funding opportunity is issued, USAID/Peru intends to make one award with an estimated duration of five years in length, and a total Estimated Amount that ranges from $5M to $20M. The type of award (Acquisition or Assistance) has not been determined yet. INSTRUCTIONS: Responses (comments, questions, suggestions, and enhancements) to this RFI are due to limasolicitations@usaid.gov and asoh@usaid.gov by February 10, 2022, 5:00 pm (Lima Local Time). Response submissions must be in Microsoft Word and must not exceed 5 pages in length. DISCLAIMER: This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. It is not a Request for Proposal/Application/ Quotation, an Invitation for Bids, nor a Solicitation. This RFI is an opportunity for USAID/Peru to obtain information from interested parties regarding the Purpose and Response Guidelines presented in this RFI. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding contract or agreement. Responses to this RFI are strictly voluntary and USAID will not pay respondents for information provided in response to this RFI. Responses to this RFI will not be returned and respondents will not be notified of the result of the review. USAID reserves the right to use any, all, or none of the information submitted in response to this RFI in a future solicitation. Thus, respondents must clearly mark or label all proprietary information contained in their submission. USAID will not disclose proprietary information. Failure to properly mark or label proprietary information may result in an inappropriate use of such information. If a Solicitation/funding opportunity is issued, it will be announced on www.sam.gov and/or www.grants.gov at a later date, and all interested parties must respond to that Solicitation/funding opportunity announcement separately from any response to this announcement. This RFI does not restrict the Government's acquisition or Assistance approach on a future Solicitation/funding opportunity. Dear Interested Parties: The United States Agency for International Development, Environment and Sustainable Growth Office in Peru is gathering information on challenges associated with decreasing the amount of plastic waste entering the environment, especially rivers and the ocean, in Peru. 1. PURPOSE USAID would like to better understand from all interested parties including the private sector, non-governmental organizations, civil society, and government partners, the specific development challenges that have stymied Peru's efforts to improve solid waste management, leading to high levels of plastic waste entering Peru's rivers and ocean environments, and how USAID can partner with interested parties to address these challenges and support the Ministry of Environment (MINAM's) Circular Economy Initiative. 2. BACKGROUND Improperly managed waste negatively impacts the environment (locally and globally), results in increased greenhouse gas emissions, drains municipal budgets, and can affect human health. In Peru, the lack of sufficient solid waste management is of mounting concern. Peru's Ministry of Environment (MINAM) and OEFA reports that 19,000 tons of solid waste are generated per day in Peru. Approximately 52% of that solid waste ends up in sanitary landfills, with the remaining 48% informally disposed of in open dumps or bodies of water (oceans, lakes, and rivers). Of the waste that is appropriately disposed of in sanitary landfills, 59% are products that could have been otherwise recycled or reused. Specifically, plastic represents 10% of the total waste stream in Peru, but only 1.9% of those plastics are recycled. The presence of Plastic debris in marine environments has become a major concern, not only for its persistence in the environment, but also for the threats it poses to both marine life and human health. Even when waste is not directly disposed of into the ocean, it is often carried there by rivers if not appropriately disposed of in sanitary landfills. In Peru, improper waste disposal threatens air quality, water quality, public health, and the health of the Amazon ecosystem. In sections of the Itaya River in Iquitos, portions of the river are so polluted that river flow has been dramatically affected, creating stagnating water bodies that increase the threat of mosquito-borne illnesses and presents an additional risk to this already flood-prone area. 3. RESPONSE GUIDELINES USAID Peru is gathering information to identify locally-led solutions to inform the anticipated co-design of one or more new activities to address ocean plastics in Peru. As such, USAID seeks information related to the questions posed below. Please provide written responses to the questions and information requested below in a suggested maximum length of five (5) pages. Contact Information Organization name and address Organization primary point of contact (include name, telephone and email address) Technical Information What innovative ideas and/or programs do you have to address the Ocean Plastics problem in Peru? If your organization is already implementing a project, how long has the project been underway and what results have been achieved? Please describe how your solution is working with informal recyclers, including men, women, indigenous communities, and/or youth populations? Describe your ideas to make the informal waste sector more valuable, safer, and/or increase opportunities to formalize or advance professionally? Which private sector companies are you partnering with and what is the role of private sector partners? How does your programming or proposed programming complement strategies proposed in Peru by the national and subnational governmental agencies, private sector, NGOs, think tanks, etc.? What are the primary problems not being addressed at the national and regional/municipal and societal levels stymying progress? What scope (e.g., local, regional, landscape/basin-wide) would you use to address the plastic waste problem (including the establishment of new and/or support for existing collection, disposal and infrastructure)? How would you measure, over time, the quantity of plastics that reach the ocean from inland areas? What approaches are you considering or implementing with private companies to include the cost of managing their product waste stream into the production cost? What strategies would you propose to include public-private incentives and partnerships to address effective better practices and circular economy? What social and behavior change approaches for Refusing, Reducing, Reusing, Repurposing, Recycling (5Rs) and sustainable solid waste management could work in Peru? Please describe your approach to addressing plastic waste that is gender-sensitive, inclusive, and empowers women and youth. 4. WORKING WITH USAID In addition to the questions posed above as part of this Request for Information, organizations interested in working with USAID Peru to address ocean plastics and support Peru's Circular Economy Initiative (El Pacto Peruano por una Econom'a Circular - https://www.gob.pe/institucion/minam/noticias/509846-conoce-los-compromisos-del-pacto-peruano-por-una-economia-circular) are encouraged to review guidelines for application and follow instructions to submit a concept note under the Peru New Partnerships and Private Sector Engagement Initiative published on the Grants.gov website at: https://www.grants.gov.