Jointly published with the Children and Youth Major Group to UNEP (CYMG), this report provides an updated analysis of global waste generation and management since 2018.
Brief Overview of Waste Management: Life-cycle Approach Towards the Circularity
Without urgent action, in 2050, the global waste amounts will increase by 70% of the current levels according to the What a Waste 2.0: A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050 report (World Bank 2018), driven by rapid urbanisation and growing populations. This corresponds to a global annual waste generation of 3.4 billion tonnes over the next 30 years, up from 2.02 billion tonnes in 2016.
This UN/DESA-UNCDF Handbook represents a significant contribution to the Financing for Sustainable Development agenda, advancing both thought leadership and action. Finalized in the crucible of the COVID-19 crisis, the Handbook brings global visibility to infrastructure asset management as a critical, high impact area for investing in local capacities to mobilize and manage financing for sustainable development, including in emergencies.
This publication outlines a possible process and poses questions that countries may wish to consider as they develop integrated national waste management strategies. It outlines the reasons for a national waste management strategy and explores the challenges and opportunities waste management presents to governments and communities. It also deals with concepts and principles related to waste management and takes account of major considerations influencing policy choices involved in the process of strategy development, monitoring, and implementation. Finally, this document defines the actions a country can take in order to develop a strategy, then to implement, review and update it.
Growing levels of waste and pollution are jeopardizing our ecosystems and affecting human health globally. In 2022, UN Member States agreed on a resolution to create a legally binding agreement by 2024 to end plastic pollution, while also adopting a resolution proclaiming 30 March as the International Day of Zero Waste. With an urgent call-to-action voiced by Member States during the first High-Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on Zero Waste held on 30 March 2023, the international community recognized the pressing need to address the escalating crisis of poor and inadequate waste management that is affecting the health of people, ecosystems, and economies.
This report provides an update on global waste generation and the cost of waste and its management and presents potential strategies for waste reduction.
The Africa Waste Management Outlook is intended to highlight both the challenges and the possible solutions for sustainable waste management in Africa, and to provide opportunities for countries to learn from what others in Africa are doing.
The Waste Management Outlook for LAC provides a regional overview of the main trends and challenges relating to waste management, thus serving as a guide for the design and implementation of policies and programs in the countries of the region.
This report provides an overview of the current challenges and opportunities for waste management in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Jointly published with the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), the report provides an update on global waste generation and the cost of waste and its management since 2018