International Day of Zero Waste – What Cities Can Do

On 30 March 2023, the first annual International Day of Zero Waste takes place.

The world is generating more than 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste every year, of which 45% is mismanaged. This makes a pile taller than Mt. Everest every year. Without action, by 2050 this will be doubled. Our current production and consumption patterns harm the environmental and human health, disproportionately affecting the poor.

Zero waste promotes responsible production and consumption patterns and encourages a shift towards a circular system. This can foster inclusive and sound waste management to minimize and prevent waste. All stakeholders – including national and local governments, civil society, the private sector, academia, communities, women, and youth – have a role to play in achieving zero waste.

This webinar provides an opportunity to recognize the global effort to reduce and manage waste more responsibly, sharing experiences around the world to explore the roles of cities. The outcome of the webinar will be a call to action with practical steps for all the actors to take. The good practices on zero waste cities will be collected and plugged into the Waste Wise Academy.

Event outline:

Contact persons:

Nao Takeuchi, UN-Habitat

Aditi Ramola, ISWA

Further information:

International Solid Waste Association (ISWA)

UN-Habitat

International Day of Zero Waste