LAHORE(National times)- Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s Suthra Punjab cleanliness initiative has gained international recognition, with the British broadcaster BBC describing it as a practical and replicable waste management model. After being highlighted at COP-30 and receiving attention from global outlets such as Forbes and Bloomberg, the Punjab-led cleanliness framework has now inspired action in the UK city of Birmingham. According to a BBC report, Suthra Punjab has reached Birmingham, where a local volunteer group sought guidance from Punjab to improve urban sanitation. The collaboration comes as Birmingham grapples with overflowing bins and repeated strikes that have disrupted routine waste collection. The report notes that a digital partnership between Punjab’s experts and Birmingham’s volunteers helped challenge long-held assumptions about civic responsibility and service delivery. British volunteers acknowledged that learning from Punjab’s experience prompted self-reflection, admitting that despite living in the West, community engagement around cleanliness had lagged. The exchange reportedly began at the Pakistan Pavilion during COP-30 in Brazil, where details of the Suthra Punjab programme were presented and initial contacts were established. The BBC further reported that Lahore Waste Management Company CEO Babar Sahib Din held an online session with Birmingham volunteers, offering guidance on Punjab’s waste management practices and practical solutions to local challenges. The broadcaster described Suthra Punjab as a modern and effective system, calling it a model worth emulating globally. Separately, Bloomberg has also praised the initiative’s waste-to-value projects, terming them significant for sustainable development. According to Bloomberg, the programme is contributing an estimated Rs300 billion annually to Punjab’s economy through environmentally friendly activities—clear evidence of its growing impact.