As the world marked its first International Zero Waste Day on Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a three-pronged battle against garbage, including polluters, governments, as well as than consumers, underlines the press service of the UN.
To companies that “produce waste”, the UN boss demands that they “design products and services that consume less resources and materials, intelligently manage the waste created throughout the life cycle of their products and innovatively extend the life of the products they sell”.
It is also about investing in waste management, recovery and recycling systems in the communities where they operate.
At the level of countries, cities and local governments, it will be about “developing and scaling up modern waste management systems, as well as policies that encourage the reuse and recycling of plastic bottles, aging electronics and other items”.
Consumers are invited to “be more responsible”. “We all need to think about the origin and impact of the goods and products we buy every day, and rethink how we dispose of them,” said the UN chief.
And to continue, “we must find possibilities for reusing, recycling, converting, repairing and recovering the products that we use. And we have to think twice before throwing these items in the trash.”
Guterres spoke at a high-level meeting, organized on the occasion of the International Day of Zero Waste, to raise awareness of the urgent need to move to a “green” and circular economy that promotes modes of production and sustainable consumption.
For this official, humanity treats the planet as a “dump” which, therefore, is literally drowning in garbage; and it is high time to clean it up because the waste “compromises our environment, our economies and our health”.
Humanity currently generates over two billion tons of municipal solid waste annually, which includes plastics, textiles, decomposed food, discarded electronics and batteries, debris from mining sites and construction sites, and abandoned chemical containers. For Guterres, the mountain of waste will reach four billion tons by 2050.
By OMA Newsletter N° 11102 of 1/03/2023
Article published under the direction of Dr. Najib Kettani
The OMA, NGO with an Intercontinental vocation
For the development of cultural exchanges
Valuing human potential
The promotion and consolidation of Africa’s development, and
Inter-African integration
