# Vignette 1: Laos' reframing of waste
Vientiane, home to around 850,000 people, produces more than 1,000 tons of waste daily, with only 31% of the households having contracted waste collection services. The rest resort to burning their trash or dumping it in open fields, by roadsides, and even into the Mekong River. This wasn't just a matter of missing services – people were burning waste even in areas where collection was available.[\[1\]](#endnote-1)
In 2019, when UNDP's Accelerator Lab in Laos decided to address this challenge, they used multiple methods to understand the system's complexity. Through multi-stakeholder workshops, they brought together community members, waste collectors, businesses and government officials to tap into their collective intelligence, map relationships and identify gaps. They mapped waste collection patterns in sample villages and conducted stakeholder interviews to understand how waste moved through the system.[\[2\]](#endnote-2)
Using the “iceberg model” as an analytical framework, they looked beyond visible events to uncover patterns and mental models. This systematic mapping revealed that 90% of household waste managers were women, particularly mothers and grandmothers. Informal waste pickers formed crucial economic networks, and deeply held beliefs about waste's value shaped behavior.[\[3\]](#endnote-3)
"We were wondering, asking the question: if people seize value in waste, would they better manage it? Would they do differently?" This reframing offered new perspectives and opportunities. Rather than just expanding services, the team conducted parallel experiments across system levels, working with community champions to demonstrate waste's economic value, partnering with retailers to create collection points, and helping government offices model plastic-free practices.
The system gained momentum as these levels started working together. Retailers' segregated collection points made informal waste pickers' work more efficient. Government offices modeling plastic-free practices shifted perceptions of what was possible. Women community leaders amplified change through existing social networks, creating ripple effects beyond the initial experiments.
This systems approach revealed unexpected leverage points. Monetary incentives had limited impact; after two months of collecting recyclable waste from a village of over 200 households, the effort yielded a mere $20 in cash rewards. In contrast, social value and convenience proved to be far stronger motivators. For example, when government offices adopted plastic-free practices, ministry leadership quickly followed suit, mandating plastic-free offices across the capital.
"Only when we work together can we make the difference," reflects Korakot Tanseri, Head of Experimentation at UNDP's Accelerator Lab in Laos. By mapping and working with the whole system – from community champions to policymakers – these different efforts began reinforcing each other.
{% hint style="info" %}
#### **Key takeaways:**
* **Map the system with the system:** map the system with workshops, journey mapping, and stakeholder interviews to understand connections and help the system see itself.
* **Look beyond visible problems:** use tools like the iceberg model to reveal patterns and mental models that drive an issue.
* **Find connections across levels:** innovations often emerge when grassroots actors and institutions interact in new ways.
* **Run multiple experiments in parallel:** transforming systems requires multiple interventions working together, with space for new patterns to emerge.
* **Work with emergence:** observe what patterns arise as the system evolves, take note of new learning questions that come come up, and adapt interventions accordingly.
{% endhint %}
***
## Notes
1. UNDP Lao PDR (2020) [↑](#endnote-ref-1)
2. Homsombath (2020) [↑](#endnote-ref-2)
3. Tanseri (2022) [↑](#endnote-ref-3)
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