The International Day of Zero Waste
Achieving sustainable and environmentally sound practices of minimizing and managing waste
30 March 2023, United Nations Conference Center, Urban Engagement Space, Bangkok
Background
Waste takes many forms including, plastics, food, electronics, textiles, extractives, and chemicals. It poses a threat to human health, costs the global economy hundreds of billions of dollars a year, and exacerbates the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature, and biodiversity loss; and waste and pollution. Without urgent action, humanity is projected to generate 3.88 billion tons of municipal solid waste annually by 2050, up from an estimated 2.24 billion tons today.
As we confront the growing waste crisis, it's increasingly evident that a zero-waste approach is crucial in promoting responsible production and consumption patterns and advancing toward a sustainable, circular system. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has highlighted the potential of zero-waste initiatives in fostering environmentally sound waste reduction and management practices and contributing to sustainable development. This is why, at its seventy-seventh session, the UNGA has proclaimed 30 March as the International Day of Zero Waste, to be observed annually.
This year, the first-ever Zero Waste Day celebration is being facilitated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). It calls on all stakeholders, including governments, civil society, businesses, academia, communities, women, and youth, to actively engage in a series of activities designed to increase awareness of zero-waste initiatives.
In the Asia-Pacific region, UNEP will be joined by UN-Habitat and ESCAP to mark the first International Day of Zero Waste during the 10th Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development with the aim to:
- Raise awareness of the urgent waste management issues in the Asia Pacific region
- Highlight the significance of taking measures across the entire value chain, from waste avoidance to sustainable management
- Showcase best practices and ongoing innovative efforts led by various stakeholders to minimize waste generation both upstream and downstream
Contact:
- Youngran Hur, Programme Management Officer, UNEP at Hury@un.org
- Maria Hughes, Associate Programme Management Officer, UNEP at Maria.hughes@un.org
- Tam Hoang, Sustainable Urbanisation Specialist, UN-Habitat at Tam.hoang@un.org
