French Solid Waste Partnership

ASTEE Congress

Pauline — 2026-04-08T12:07:00Z

From 2 to 5 June 2025, Toulouse, France. The 104th ASTEE Congress brought together more than 650 participants under the theme “Accelerating the ecological transition in cities and regions.”

Every year, ASTEE organizes a congress bringing together more than 600 French participants involved in waste and water management.

FSWP Participation

For the 104th edition, PFD organized and moderated the international session titled “From source to sea: how to tackle pollution and waste transfers?”

presentation

UN Biodiversity Conference - COP17

Pauline — 2025-12-15T15:07:18Z

From 19 to 30 October, in Yerevan, Armenia, COP17 will continue to drive commitments and actions towards protecting biodiversity.

The COP on Biodiversity takes place every 2 years. In 2022, it resulted in an agreement on the Global Framework for Biodiversity, which sets targets for signatory countries to protect biodiversity by 2030 and 2050. In 2026, during COP17, signatories of the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework will be providing a first report on the relevance of their national strategies to implementing the agreement. Given the important biodiversity financing gap, the topic of funding will be central to ensure that commitments for 2030 will be met.

Waste management is essential for public health, improving living conditions and protecting biodiversity. Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of waste helps to limit the impact of this sector on ecosystems and living organisms, in particular through:

Improved collection to prevent waste, particularly plastics and microplastics, from leaking into the environment, both on land and at sea;
The availability and improvement of final disposal facilities everywhere and for everyone, in order to reduce soil, air and water pollution, for example by closing uncontrolled, uncovered landfills without leachate treatment in favour of engineered landfill that comply with the Basel Convention's ESM of waste;
Prevention, the first lever in the waste treatment hierarchy, which reduces waste generation and the use of natural resources, thereby helping to reduce human pressure on ecosystems, fauna and flora.
Implementation of the hierarchy of actions of the circular economy, as trans-sectoral actions that will result in re-establishing a balance with natural resources, through changes in production, consumption and usage patterns.

FSWP participation

Through its participation in COP17 (remotely or in person), the FSWP will continue to highlight and emphasise the intrinsic links between waste and resource management and biodiversity conservation. It will carry the Global Push initiative, which aims to break down silos and work towards waste and resource management with a circularity approach that is truly holistic and systemic. Indeed, it is only through coordinated, cross-sectoral work that we can hope for a decontaminated, defossilised future, where economic growth is decoupled from resource extraction and the well-being of living organisms.
More information on the FSWP's participation to come.

ISWA Congress 2026

Pauline — 2025-12-15T15:06:07Z

From 9 to 11 November 2026, London, United Kingdom. The ISWA World Congress 2026 will be dedicated to knowledge sharing and to showcasing global best practices in resource and waste management.

The International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) World Congress is the foremost event in the field of solid waste management. Since its beginning in 1972, it takes place in a different location each year, this time in London. It serves as a global assembly, featuring elevated plenary sessions, technical site visits, and a rich cultural and social itinerary. Here, waste management professionals, government officials, industry leaders, policymakers, scientists, and emerging professionals convene, engaging in constructive dialogues to encourage scientific and technical advancements in sustainable solid waste management.

The Congress is always preceded by the ISWA General Assembly, next to the ISWA Board and Scientific and Technical Committee meetings.

UN Water Conference

Pauline — 2025-12-15T14:39:19Z

From 2 to 4 December 2026, Abou Dabi, United Arab Emirates. The 2026 UN Water Conference, co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates and Senegal, aims to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Since the UN 2023 Water Conference, which was the first such event in nearly half a century, the inaugural UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation has been launched and the first UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Water has been appointed.

FSWP POSITION

Pollution travels from land to sea: 80% of plastic pollution in oceans originates on land.
Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of waste as defined by the Basel Convention is one of the most effective and sustainable solutions to reduce river and marine pollution. It protects water quality in hydrographic basins, as a core component of the “source to sea” approach.
The implementation of such management systems is complex, requiring the control of waste collection, treatment, and disposal in ways that protects both human health and the environment. The local waste systems are preventing macro-waste from entering water streams or blocking urban drainage systems, as well as controlling leachate to prevent groundwater pollution.

We demand

... That waste management be recognized as a key element:

to protect water quality and resources, rivers, seas and oceans. We call for it to be recognized in the final statement concluding the UN Water Conference2026.
to drive the negotiations for the upcoming Global Treaty to eliminate plastic pollution, and those under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.

Discover the FSWP's statement ahead of the UN Water Conferen below :

FSWP statement

UN Climate Change Conference - COP31

Pauline — 2025-12-15T14:39:08Z

From 9 to 20 November 2026, Antalya, Turkey. It brings together the signatory countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

A key task for the COP is to review the national communications and emission inventories submitted by Parties. Based on this information, the COP assess the effects of the measures taken by Parties and the progress made in achieving the ultimate objective of the Convention. The Parties also discuss the measures and means that need to be committed to ensure progress towards the reduction ambition, which is then reported into a joint declaration.

More information about FSWP's participation to come

World Cleanup Day

Pauline — 2025-12-15T14:34:52Z

20 September was proclaimed “World Cleanup Day” in 2023 by the United Nations General Assembly, in its seventy-eighth session, unanimously adopted under resolution 78/122.

The world produces over 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste every year, and almost half of this is not properly managed. Waste that is not collected and treated in controlled facilities not only compromises human safety, but also exacerbates the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and pollution.

Waste production could reach 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050.

Waste prevention and management play a key role in building a sustainable future. The aim of World Clean-up Day is to raise the profile of this issue and encourage awareness and collective action to reduce the impact of waste-related pollution on the environment and, consequently, on our health.

High Level Political Forum

Pauline — 2025-12-15T14:34:23Z

From 7 to 15 july 2026, New-York, United-States. Established in 2012 at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) is the forum for monitoring and reviewing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.

As consultations begin on establishing a new post-2030 systemic framework, this forum continues to review progress on the SDGs, with a focus this year on SDGs 6 (water), 7 (energy), 9 (industry), 11 (sustainable cities) and 17 (partnerships) in detail. The presence of the French Solid Waste Partnership (FSWP) at this event is essential to highlight the systemic link between the SDG framework and waste and resource management. Indeed, waste and resource management has a key role to play in achieving these SDGs, and sustainable waste and resource management depends on the progress of these SDGs.

FSWP participation

During this event, the FSWP will continue to promote the Global Push initiative, which consists of three main areas:

Strengthening the unique systemic framework of the SDGs,
Updating indicators and targets for better waste and resource management around the world, and
The need for a commitment to resources and waste, for sustainable development that respects the environment, guarantees flourishing and rational economic activity, and is the cornerstone of well-being and social justice.

More information on the FSWP's participation to come.

Official Programme

BRS Open-ended Working Group - 15

Pauline — 2025-12-15T14:32:34Z

The fifteenth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWP-15) of the Basel Rotterdam and Stockholm Convention (BRS) will take place from Tuesday, 23 June to Friday, 26 June 2026. The FSWP plans to attend as an observer.

The 15th Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) of the Basel Convention is an interim step between BRS COPs, which takes place every two years. This working group helps to develop and monitor the implementation of the Convention's work plan, specific operational policies and decisions taken by the Conference of the Parties.

The Basel Convention started in 1989 is recognised as the one on hazardous waste, although the key concept of environmentally sound management (ESM) of all waste for the protection of health and the environment is defined therein (Art. 2(8)) and made mandatory for the Parties (Art. 4(2)).

FSWP participation

Through its participation in the working group, the FSWP seeks to identify the most effective levers for action, contribute to discussions and the development of comprehensive roadmaps, and identify topics of interest to Member States. This year, the OEWP will focus in particular on defining textile and plastic waste more precisely in order to better regulate the export of these flows.

During this working group, the FSWP plans to continue its work to mobilise support for the Global Push initiative. The ultimate goal is to enable collaboration between all stakeholders involved in waste and resource management. It appears necessary to create a space for cross-cutting and cross-sectoral discussion on the sustainable management of waste and resources to support the holistic transition to circularity needed to achieve the ultimate goal of decontamination, defossilisation, decoupling economic growth from resource extraction, and the well-being of living beings, .

World Environment Day

Lucia Lopez — 2025-12-09T16:21:12Z

World Environment Day has been held every year on June 5 since 1973, under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). This year, this awareness-raising day is being organized by the Republic of Korea, with the ambitious goal of eliminating plastic pollution by 2040.

While negotiations on a binding international treaty on plastics are still ongoing, this day will be an opportunity for the FSWP to reiterate the importance of understanding the challenge of waste management (plastics and other materials) as a challenge of resource management throughout their life cycle.

Improving waste management systems around the world, for Environmentally Sound Management everywhere and for everyone, is therefore a necessary first step, from prevention to safe final disposal. The challenges and pressures posed by the end of life of goods on the triple planetary crisis require profound changes in our modes of production, consumption, and use. With global warming reaching 1.6°C in 2024, the shift from a flow management approach to a management of existing stocks is essential, and this international day is an opportunity to emphasize that the priority is to prevent waste generation.

13th World Urban Forum

Lucia Lopez — 2025-12-09T16:20:09Z

May 17-22 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The World Urban Forum (WUF) is the world's leading conference on sustainable urbanization. It is organized by UN-Habitat to bring together all urban stakeholders to discuss sustainable development issues.

The WUF has been organized by the United Nations since 2001 with the aim of highlighting one of today's most pressing issues: rapid urban expansion and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change, and politics. The issue of waste management is essential, but remains to be addressed in more depth in this forum which tends to focus on habitat and transport as priorities.

First held in 2002 in Nairobi, Kenya, it has been held every two years since then, all over the world. This forum, initiated by UN-HABITAT, is the leading international conference on urban development, involving all city stakeholders: public, private, civil society, and academic, so that they can share their experiences with the aim of defining common guidelines.

FSWP Participation

Although no physical presence was planned for this 13th meeting of the World Urban Forum, the French Solid Waste Partnership (FSWP) is keen to highlight the crucial link between cities and waste. On the one hand, given that the proportion of the population living in cities continues to grow, urban planning is key to the implementation of functional waste management systems that cover all areas in an inclusive and equitable manner, while also protecting the environment and health. Integrated territorial and urban planning is therefore essential, from the design of the housing itself to a territorial network that manages the flows of recovered materials and energy and guarantees the availability of safe final disposal facilities.

Furthermore, environmentally sound waste management improves the livability of cities by improving air, soil, and water quality. It enhances their attractiveness through healthy public spaces and preserved (peri)urban landscapes. Beyond its impact on health, the environment, and economic activity in the region, sustainable waste management improves citizens' quality of life and well-being.

So, as cities face growing demographic pressure and increasing climate crises, thinking about resilience, adaptation, and mitigation for sustainable cities of the future can't happen without thinking about fair, sustainable, and circular waste and resource management.