International Day of Zero Waste

In News

• The world marked the first-ever International Day of Zero Waste on March 30, 2023.

About

• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) established the day in response to the worsening impacts of waste on human health, the economy and the environment.
• The day calls upon all stakeholders — including governments, civil society, businesses, academia, communities, women and youth — to engage in activities that raise awareness of zero-waste initiatives.

Significance

• The waste crisis is undermining the Earth’s ability to sustain life. Waste costs the global economy billions of dollars each year.
• Waste generation has increased massively around the world in recent decades, and there are no signs of it slowing down. By 2050, worldwide municipal solid waste generation is expected to have increased by roughly 70 per cent to 3.4 billion tonnes. 
• Promoting zero-waste initiatives can help advance all the goals and targets in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including Sustainable Development Goal 11 on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable and UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goal 12 on ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns

India’s initiatives in Waste management

• The Government of India has undertaken multiple large-scale national initiatives such as ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’, ‘National Water Mission’ and ‘Waste to Wealth Mission ‘ as a part of its commitment to effective waste & pollution management in India.
• To promote and support the goals of the Swachh Bharat Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules 2016, Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, 2016 and the E-waste (Management) Rules, 2016 have been notified.
• In February 2022, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, inaugurated Asia’s biggest municipal solid waste based GOBARdhan plant in Indore aiming to generate 19,000 kg bio-CNG gas. 
• Under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, the bio-methanation plants linked to the GOBARdhan and SATAT schemes will produce Bio-CNG as a renewable energy.

Source: DTE