7 September 2015: The first global waste status report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) suggests that holistic management of the world’s solid waste problem could cut annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 20% while generating green jobs, improving public health and saving countries billions of dollars.

The Global Waste Management Outlook (GWMO) finds that up to 10 billion tonnes of urban solid wastes are produced globally each year, and 3 billion people lack access to controlled waste disposal facilities. The Outlook projects that, unless urgent action is taken, waste volumes will double in lower-income African and Asian cities by 2030 due to population growth and rising urbanization and consumption.

At the GWMO’s release, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said better waste management is not only an environmental and public health necessity, but “a sound economic investment.” He suggested that inaction costs countries five to ten times more than investments in proper waste management, and that systematic application of the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) and circular economy approach to materials life-cycle management could bring hundreds of billions of dollars in economic benefits while making “massive strides toward realizing the Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs).

The GWMO recommends adoption and implementation of five ‘Global Waste Management Goals.’ The first two would call for ensuring, by 2020, access for all to adequate, safe and affordable solid waste collection services, and a stop to both uncontrolled dumping and open waste burning. The remaining goals call for ensuring by 2030: achieving sustainable and environmentally sound management of all waste, particularly hazardous waste; substantially reducing waste generation through prevention and application of the 3Rs; and halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reducing food losses in the supply chain.

The report also suggests priority areas for study on waste management, and calls for raising assistance to developing countries for waste management to 3% of total international aid by 2030, promoting producer responsibility programs, and substantially improving the availability and reliability of waste and resource management data.

The GWMO was produced jointly by UNEP and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA). The two organizations plan to follow up with a series of Regional Waste Management Outlooks (RWMOs). [UNEP Press Release] [Publication: Global Waste Management Outlook 2015] [IISD RS Coverage of Sixth 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific]