The report highlights waste management as a critical driver for achieving the SDGs. It shows how unsustainable resource use and mismanaged waste exacerbate poverty, inequality, health risks, and environmental degradation. It calls for a transition to zero-waste societies through three steps: (1) establishing control over waste, (2) implementing Environmentally Sound Management (ESM), and (3) adopting circular economy approaches. Case studies from the Global South illustrate how waste reduction, recycling, composting, and energy recovery can generate jobs, improve public health, empower women, protect ecosystems, and mitigate climate change. By prioritizing inclusive and just waste management, countries can simultaneously advance multiple SDGs.