Aspect
Resource Use and Waste Management
Resource use and waste management practices span all three dimensions. Governance applies through waste management policies, discharge permits, and compliance frameworks. Planning and Development applies because resource efficient design, waste segregation infrastructure, and wastewater treatment systems are specified during the planning and construction of new port developments. Operations encompasses day to day resource consumption management, waste sorting, and discharge monitoring.
Summary
Resource use and waste management is a foundational aspect of green port operations, encompassing the efficient consumption of water, energy, and materials, alongside the responsible segregation, treatment, and disposal of operational and corporate waste streams.
For ports across Asian Development Bank (ADB) Developing Member Countries (DMCs), this aspect is particularly significant given rapid port expansion across DMCs, increasing trade volumes, and heightened exposure to water scarcity, energy costs, and marine pollution pressures.
Globally, resource efficiency in ports is driven by the imperative to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, conserve scarce freshwater resources, and minimize waste to landfill.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulatory framework, particularly the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), requires Parties to ensure the provision of adequate port reception facilities for ship waste covered by Annexes I, II, IV, V and VI (IMO, n.d.).
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) provides management system standards, such as ISO 14001 underpin systematic resource management (ISO, 2018). The emergence of circular economy principles, codified in ISO 59004:2024, is reshaping how ports approach end of life materials, encouraging material recovery and industrial symbiosis over linear disposal (ISO, 2024).
In the Southeast Asian context, resource use and waste management intersects with several regional priorities. The ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance (Version 4) includes Technical Screening Criteria (TSC) for the Transportation and Storage; Construction and Real Estate; and Water Supply, Sewerage, Waste Management and Remediation sectors, providing a pathway for ports to align investments with green finance eligibility (ASEAN Taxonomy Board, 2025).
DMC ports face particular challenges: many DMC ports operate in hot or water scarce climates with high water demand for dust suppression and equipment cooling; energy costs constitute a significant share of port operating expenditure; and inadequate waste management infrastructure in some DMCs means that port generated waste, including ship generated waste, cargo residues, and operational by products, can contribute to marine pollution and public health risks (Ng et al., 2023).
International frameworks such as the World Ports Sustainability Program (WPSP) and the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) EcoPorts network provide benchmarking tools and case study databases that can inform DMC ports' approaches to resource management (WPSP, n.d.b; ESPO, n.d.).
Within DMCs, the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) Port Safety, Health and Environmental Management System (PSHEM) provides a structured certification pathway for environmental management in ports (PEMSEA, 2012).
National initiatives, such as Malaysia's Roadmap Towards Zero Single Use Plastics 2018 to 2030 (Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change, 2018), establish policy contexts within which port waste management programs operate.
Current approaches to resource use and waste management in DMC ports range from basic waste collection and disposal to sophisticated digital monitoring, water recycling, and waste to energy systems. The variation in maturity presents both a challenge and an opportunity: targeted technical assistance and knowledge transfer can accelerate adoption of proven practices across the region.
This aspect contributes to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 14 (Life Below Water).