Mostafa Ahmed
ISWA Technical Coordinator
At the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, the side event “Spotlight on the Land to Sea Continuum to Protect Marine Environments from Plastic Pollution”, organised by the French Solid Waste Partnership, ISWA’s French national member, brought one message into sharp focus:
We cannot solve ocean plastic pollution without transforming the way we manage waste on land.
ISWA’s Technical Coordinator, Dr. Mostafa Ahmed, delivered key insights from the Global Waste Management Outlook (GWMO), making a compelling economic and environmental case for an urgent transition to circularity.
Presenting three future waste management scenarios: Business-as-Usual, Waste Under Control and Circular Economy, Mostafa emphasised that we now have a clear decision to make:
“By 2050, the cost of inaction will far exceed the cost of implementing the circular economy scenario. The future costs less if we act now.”
87% of plastics leaked into nature stem from mismanaged waste, which then fragments into microplastics, making removal extremely difficult, if not impossible. Without immediate and systemic intervention, plastic build-up in aquatic environments is projected to triple by 2060.
The most effective way to prevent this is managing macroplastic leakage at the source through strong, inclusive and circular waste management systems!
ISWA Is Driving This Transformation Across All Levels:
- Policy Engagement
Through the ISWA Plastic Treaty Task Force, we are actively supporting the ongoing negotiations of the international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.
ISWA provides technical guidance to national focal points and advocates for life-cycle-based approaches that prioritize waste management as a foundational element of the treaty.
- Community-Led Initiatives
On the ground, ISWA’s CLOCC project is empowering communities in countries like Indonesia and India to co-design locally owned, scalable circular waste systems that reflect real community needs.
As countries and stakeholders prepare for the next round of negotiations in Geneva, ISWA remains committed to supporting governments, local actors, and INC national focal points in turning ambition into implementation.
Because ultimately: Circularity is not theory; it is the only path to end plastic pollution.
