This Thursday (March 30, 2023) marks the first celebration of International Zero Waste Day. Zero Waste Day is hosted by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat).
This date calls on all governments, civil society, companies, academia, communities, women and youth to participate in activities that raise awareness of zero waste initiatives. Tuecontributes to the promotion of the 2030 Agenda measure in the field of sustainable development, discussed in the United Nations (UN).
There are several events around the world on World Zero Waste Day that serve the purpose for which it was created. From community awareness sessions, e-waste and food collection campaigns, fashion shows, photo exhibitions to conferences, the aim is to promote social change towards a circular economy.
“Waste management is critical to addressing housing issues, how we deal with sanitation issues in our cities and, of course, the climate crisis,” UN-Habitat Executive Director Maimouna Mohd Sharif said in a statement from the organization.
Approximately 931 million tons of food is discarded each year, and up to 37 million tons of plastic waste is expected to enter the ocean each year by 2040.