Thimphu Thromde is transforming waste management through the Clean Thimphu City Initiative, a government-led project supported by the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme and the World Bank. The initiative uses smart technology and real-time data for efficient waste collection. Thimphu faces significant waste management challenges due to inadequate infrastructure, poor waste segregation, low public awareness, and weak law enforcement, affecting waste collection, disposal, and recycling. Illegal dumping is also common, especially in overgrown and neglected places without green spaces to discourage usage.
Lastly, the establishment of a sustainable and efficient waste management system is hampered by limited public participation and community engagement in sanitation initiatives. In addition to technology, the CTCI highlights a number of other key elements that improve urban sustainability and cleanliness. Efforts to modernize operations and increase efficiency support infrastructure enhancement. The plan focuses on community engagement, beautification, policy strengthening, and reducing single-use plastics. It aims to transform neglected dumping sites into community gardens and implement a zero-tolerance approach to littering.