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The UN Environment Program published a comprehensive report titled ‘Beyond an Age of Waste: Turning Rubbish into a Resource,’ which underscores the urgent need for a significant reduction in waste generation to ensure a sustainable and affordable future. The report, Global Waste Management Outlook 2024, provides a detailed analysis of global waste generation and its associated costs, using life cycle assessments to explore different scenarios.

According to the report, municipal solid waste generation is expected to increase from 2.3 billion tonnes in 2023 to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050. The direct cost of waste management in 2020 was estimated at 252 billion U.S. dollars but when considering the hidden costs of pollution, health impacts, and climate change, the total cost rises to 361 billion U.S. dollars.

Without urgent action, the global annual cost of waste management could nearly double to 640.3 billion U.S. dollars by 2050.

United Nations Environment Programme Executive Director, Inger Andersen, emphasized the importance of identifying actionable steps toward a more resourceful future and the critical role of decision-makers in both the public and private sectors in moving towards zero waste.

The President of the International Solid Waste Association, Carlos Silva Filho, highlighted the need for bold and transformative solutions to address the challenges of waste management.

The report’s modeling suggests that implementing waste prevention and management measures could limit net annual costs by 2050 to 270.2 billion U.S. dollars. However, a circular economy model, which decouples waste generation from economic growth through waste avoidance and sustainable practices, could result in a net gain of 108.5 billion U.S. dollars per year.

The lead author of the report, Zoë Lenkiewicz, emphasized the urgent need to shift to a zero-waste approach to prevent pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and negative health impacts.

The report also highlighted the barriers to progress, including the lack of attention to health and climate impacts, the exclusion of women and the informal sector from decision-making, weak enforcement and penalties, and the failure of voluntary commitments.

The report recommends several pathways to address these challenges, including leveraging industry 5.0 technologies for better waste data, introducing mandatory schemes to ensure polluters pay for externalities, adopting inclusive approaches to engage citizens, integrating the principles of a just transition, and building national expertise in waste management.

In conclusion, the report underscores the urgent need for global action to address waste management challenges and emphasizes the importance of strong leadership, innovative solutions, and inclusive approaches to ensure a sustainable and affordable future for all.
 
 COVER PHOTO: Poorly disposed garbage including plastic bottles and polythene bags around Arua main market. PHOTO BY SUNDAY AMANDI