Forbes has highlighted Punjab’s Suthra Punjab initiative as one of the world’s largest and most advanced digitised waste management systems, praising it for turning a long-standing waste crisis into a major climate and development success.
Launched across the province in just eight months, the system now provides a unified waste service to nearly 130 million people, managing around 50,000 tons of waste every day.
The initiative connects all cities and remote villages under a single authority led by the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC).
Why Forbes Praised the System
Forbes noted that Punjab skipped slow pilot projects and went straight to province-wide implementation.
LWMC CEO Babar Sahib Din said the model works because of:
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strong political support
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real-time digital monitoring
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performance-based payments
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reduced manipulation and “ghost” billing
All trucks, bins, and routes are tracked live.
Waste-to-Energy & Climate Impact
Punjab has already started work on large waste-to-energy plants, including a 25MW facility in Lahore that will supply power to the national grid.
The province says the initiative has:
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created over 100,000 green jobs
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reduced open dumping and clogged drains
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helped cut nearly 2 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions annually
The project was showcased at COP30 in Brazil, and several global cities — including Jakarta and Nairobi — are studying Punjab’s model.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the achievement, calling Suthra Punjab “truly transformative”.
What’s Next?
The next phase will expand:
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recycling
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composting
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waste-to-energy production
to reduce landfill pressure and convert waste into economic value.
