UNEP released Global Waste Management Outlook

In International Affairs
September 8, 2015

Global Waste Management Outlook was released on 7th September 2015 in Belgium. The report offers an integrated global solution to the waste problem, including calling for immediate improvement of waste collection and disposal, preventing waste and maximizing reuse and recycling of resources. It also calls for a major shift away from the linear “take-make-use-waste” economy and towards the circular “reduce-reuse-recycle” approach to the lifecycle of materials.

Global Waste Management Outlook

Prepared by: UNEP’s The International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC) and International Solid Waste Association(ISWA).
Date: 7th September 2015.
Aim: to address the issue of waste and create awareness about the waste management.
What report says about India?
- India has become one of the major dumping sites in the world.
- The major sources which generate waste are household, factories and hospitals.

Highlights of the report:

Total global arisings of municipal solid waste (MSW) is around 2 billion tonnes per annum.
Around 3 billion people are bereft to access the waste disposal facilities.
E-waste is the fastest-growing concern all around the world due to increased consumer demand, perceived obsolesce, and rapid changes in technology and inventions of new electronic devices.
Major constituents of e-waste are:
- rare earth metals like lanthanum
- cerium
- praseodymium
- neodymium
- gadolinium
- dysprosium
- precious metals such as gold, silver and palladium; or other metals such as copper, aluminium or iron, which have a high intrinsic value.
The 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle- should be employed to transform the problem of waste into a resource for economies.

About UNEP IETC

Full form: The International Environmental Technology Centre
It is a branch of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) / Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE).
Main function: is to promote the application of environmentally sound technologies (ESTs) in developing countries and countries in transition. Currently IETC focuses on waste management issues.

About ISWA