Activities

The fashion and textile industry is a major contributor to plastic pollution, generating around 92 million tons of waste annually—largely driven by fast fashion and synthetic fibres like polyester. Clothing and textiles account for 11% of global plastic waste, ranking third after packaging and consumer goods. Beyond visible waste, microfibre pollution from production to disposal continues to harm ecosystems and food chains.

As environmental concerns grow, so does consumer demand for sustainable alternatives. With increasing pressure on brands and policymakers, the shift toward more responsible fashion practices offers a critical opportunity to reduce plastic waste and drive lasting environmental impact.

Waste to Energy (WtE) is a cutting-edge technology that converts municipal solid waste into electricity and heat, providing a sustainable solution for waste disposal while generating alternative energy. By burning waste materials to produce steam, which powers turbines for electricity generation, WtE helps power homes, industries, and factories.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) shifts product end-of-life management from consumers to producers, aligning with the "Polluter Pays Principle". This fosters a more equitable financial model for Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM). This newsletter discusses the challenges and opportunities of implementing EPR and provides different case studies related to the theme. Moreover, you can find the latest updates on the Waste Wise Cities and African Clean Cities Platform activities, including INC-3 and COP28!

Establishing or improving a sustainable financing system for Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is one of the major challenges when it comes to sustainable operations of the MSWM system in cities, especially in emerging countries. This newsletter discusses the challenges and opportunities of a sustainable MSWM finance system and provides different case studies related to the theme. Moreover, you can find the latest updates on the Waste Wise Cities and African Clean Cities Platform activities, including the UN Secretary General‘s Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste!

Informal waste and recycling operators are major contributors to the waste value chain and pose an important form of livelihood. In this edition, you can find different case studies and recovery chain actors’ stories, as well as the latest updates of our waste management initiatives, including the International Day of Zero Waste! 

The massive consumption of a wide range of plastic products has generated a huge amount of plastic waste and its management has been a challenge to many countries. This newsletter discusses the challenge and opportunities of plastic waste and provides a case study of plastic waste management by a recycling tech company based in Nigeria. Furthermore, you can find a lot of updates on WWC and ACCP activities, such as the Third ACCP Assembly, World Clean-up Day, and so forth.