Forbes Recognizes Punjab’s ‘Suthra Punjab’ as One of the World’s Largest Digitised Waste Management Systems

Forbes has highlighted Punjab’s Suthra Punjab initiative as one of the most advanced and largest digitised waste management systems in the world, recognizing it as a major climate and development success. The province has transformed a long-standing waste crisis into a unified, technology-driven system that now serves nearly 130 million people and manages around 50,000 tons of waste every day.

The system operates under a single provincial authority built around the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC), integrating both major cities and remote rural areas. According to Forbes, one of the project’s most remarkable features is its direct shift to province-wide implementation instead of relying on small pilot programs. LWMC CEO Babar Sahib Din noted that political backing, strong accountability, and fully digitised operations have been key to its success.

Real-time tracking of trucks, bins, and routes ensures transparent monitoring, while contractor payments are tied to performance data. This digital structure reduces the chances of manipulation, inefficiency, and ghost payments. The financial model combines government funding, user fees, and revenue generated through waste-to-energy initiatives and carbon credits.

Punjab has already begun work on large-scale waste-to-energy projects, including a 25MW plant in Lahore that will supply electricity to the national grid. The initiative has created more than 100,000 green jobs and has contributed to a significant reduction in open dumping, clogged drains, and informal landfills across the province. Officials estimate that waste-to-value programs will cut almost two million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions annually.

The Suthra Punjab model was also showcased at COP30 in Brazil as a leading global example of integrated waste and climate management. Cities around the world, including Jakarta and Nairobi, are studying the system as a potential framework for their own waste challenges.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif commended the rapid improvement in waste management, describing the progress as transformative and crediting Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and her team for their efforts. The provincial government says the next phase will expand recycling, composting, and energy generation to further reduce landfill usage and convert waste into economic opportunities, strengthening Punjab’s position as a global leader in sustainable waste management.