KATHMANDU, Nov 18: Finnish Ambassador to Nepal Petri Puhakka paid a courtesy call on Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol as the two discussed cooperation in urban cleanliness, sanitation and circular economy practices.
During the meeting, Deputy Mayor Dangol highlighted the metropolis’s ongoing initiatives to promote a circular economy—particularly through waste-to-resource programmes. She explained that Kathmandu has long been working to “turn waste into wealth”, citing initiatives such as composting household waste to produce fertilizer, which is then used in rooftop vegetable farming to grow fruits, flowers and vegetables within the city.
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She added that community-level enterprises have begun collecting discarded paper, plastics and other recyclables to produce daily-use items and decorative goods. These efforts, she noted, have supported local livelihoods and contributed to income generation.
Ambassador Puhakka remarked that Finland has been working in sanitation and hygiene programmes in both Madhesh and Karnali Provinces and expressed interest in collaborating with Kathmandu Metropolitan City as well. He said cooperation could be extended to areas such as drinking water quality, urban environmental management and sanitation—sectors where the metropolis has expressed a need.
