Mr. Asif Farooki is the pioneer of private sector participation in solid waste management sector of Pakistan. Considered as the domain of the municipalities, the solid waste management industry in Pakistan was non existing and there were several shortfalls in service delivery by the government due to lack of resources. Finding opportunities in these gaps made by inefficient service by the local governments, Farooki launched the Lahore Sanitation Program through his company Waste Busters.
Mr. Asif Farooki holds a Masters Degree in Environment Engineering from Northwestern University, USA with specialization in Waste Management and Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Northern Illinois University. With over 20 years in the field of environmental engineering, Mr. Farooki had been involved in the waste management industry both as an entrepreneur and as a consultant with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, JICA and the UNDP.
He has earned several prestigious awards including the Best Practices Award by the UNDP and the Urban Governance Initiative Award by the World Bank. His model of a low cost sustainable solution in waste management is now being used in several municipalities in Pakistan and is now being offered to other developing countries.
Besides his business occupation, Mr. Farooki is a member of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Council, Founding member and Secretary General of the Solid Waste Association of Pakistan, member of the International Solid Waste Association and a Chartered Member of the Institute of Waste Management, U.K. He is currently also serving as an advisor to the Ministry of Environment and has served on several national and provincial committees for environment and local government.