KATHMANDU: Clean Up Nepal and Karuna Shechen have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on waste management initiatives targeting schools and local governments.

The partnership, formalized through an MoU exchange between Sunita Sharma, Executive Director of Shechen Karuna, and Rabindra Lamichhane, Executive Director of Clean Up Nepal, will focus on the "Waste Management Initiatives – NIDP-II" project.

The initiative aims to strengthen policy formulation at the local level, develop information, education, and communication (IEC) materials and toolkits, and provide capacity-building training on Zero Waste at Schools (ZWAS) across 16 educational institutions.

Activities will promote eco-friendly practices among schoolchildren while enhancing local governments' technical capacity to plan, implement, and manage solid waste systems.
"This partnership marks a meaningful step toward strengthening policy, capacity, and behavior change at the local level," the organizations said in a joint statement.

The collaboration is expected to contribute to policy development, foster positive behavior change among students, and support local authorities in building sustainable waste management systems.

Both organizations expressed optimism about working together to create a cleaner, zero-waste future through school-level interventions and community engagement.