2 - Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of waste is essential if we are to succeed in achieving the following SDGs
The aim of this section is to highlight the importance of ESM** of waste and resource in achieving SDGs 3, 6, 13, 14, 15 and 16, even though these SDGs do not currently mention it.
** Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of waste, defined in Article 2 of the Basel Convention, refers to all practical measures taken to ensure that waste is managed in a manner that protects human health and the environment from its harmful effects. It applies to all stages of the waste life cycle: collection, transport, treatment, disposal, and post-treatment monitoring.
Target proposals are written as if we were proposing an additional target.
Proposed key messages to be added to the existing targets, as a means to reach out to other sectors on the importance of waste management:
SDG3 – Good health and well-being
- Ensure ESM of waste in order to reduce the risk of disease linked to 1/ the transfer of pathogens and 2/ diffuse pollution resulting from the management of products and waste. In particular, reduce the uncontrolled incineration of waste or open-air burning practices and replace landfill sites (whether uncontrolled or controlled) with ESM compliant final disposal solutions*.
SDG6 – Clean water and sanitation
- Reduce waste generation and implement ESM of waste. In particular, replace open dumps and landfills (uncontrolled or controlled) with ESM compliant final disposal solutions* in order to achieve Target 6.3.
SDG13 – Climate action
- Reduce, capture and treat GHG emissions (methane, CO2, N20) or black carbon resulting from waste management, while ensuring the sustainability of solutions and taking into account the degree of urgency based on the short-term warming potential of these compounds. Energy recovery from waste contributes to the reduction of GHGs by replacing fossil energy with energy produced mostly from renewable sources using the biogenic fraction of waste,
- Ensure urban cleanliness to reduce the risk of flooding resulting of the blocking of urban drains.
SDG14 – Life below water & SDG15 – Life on land
- Reduce the leakage of solid waste into the terrestrial and aquatic environments, and to this end define the roles and responsibilities along the entire waste pathway on the land-sea continuum,
- Implementation of the ISO 59004 hierarchy of actions (refuse, rethink, eco-design, recycle, recover energy) to eliminate the transfer of substances of concern or problematic substances to aquatic and terrestrial environments.
SDG16 – Peace, justice and strong institutions
- Reduce the material footprint by using models that require fewer natural resources and allow for the integration of recycled materials, in order to reduce local tensions (e.g: excessive mining) and international tensions (e.g: geopolitical war for the monopolization of natural resources).
*Safe final disposal solutions include « sanitary landfill » also referred to as “specially engineered landfills”, as well as incineration with flue gas control meeting minimum environmental standards. Refer to the Basel Convention technical guidelines on ESM for D5 (landfill) and D10 (incineration).
