International Day Of Zero Waste

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) reports that every minute, the ocean receives an equivalent of one garbage truck of plastics and that more than 75% of electronic waste is not safely managed. As a response to these alarming environmental crises, the International Day of Zero Waste was established and marked on March 30th every year.

As the world’s population grows, the production of items such as electronics and plastics increases, driven by the forces of supply and demand. According to the United Nations, the world’s population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, with Africa accounting for 1 in 4 persons. Despite contributing only 2-3% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, Africa bears the brunt of climate change effects.

To achieve zero waste, we need to adopt the 3Rs of waste management: reduce, reuse, and recycle. This means reducing single-use products, using multi-use alternatives, and recycling plastics. Government should take proactive action through policies to ensure sustainability and prevent a repeat of environmental degradation like the one in Agbogbloshie, Ghana, where electronic waste recycling caused pollution. Institutions like the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) should enforce laws to strip old vehicles of their road worthiness to reduce toxic exhaust fumes.

To ensure that economic growth is sustainable, CDS Africa calls on the government to implement policies and regulations that promote the use of renewable energy sources, reducing waste, and encouraging the development of sustainable agriculture and production practices.

To achieve this, it will require collaboration between government agencies, private sector, and civil society. On the occasion of the International Day of Zero Waste, CDS Africa calls on all stakeholders, especially the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to take steps to ensure that factories and companies adopt environmentally sustainable practices to dispose of their waste, protecting workers’ lives and the environment overall.

Let’s all do our part to protect and conserve the earth.