French Solid Waste Partnership

Human Rights

Lucia Lopez — 2026-04-30T13:28:05Z

Coming Soon!

Pole R, a local circular economy

Lucia Lopez — 2026-04-14T13:43:53Z

A 16 000 m² site dedicated to reuse, repair, and waste reduction.

8,000 m² managed as a third place, with shared spaces, equipment, human resources, and material resources.

Three buildings:

Anti-waste zone dedicated to food deposits,
Fabricanova : a cooperative hosting platforms for sorting, reuse, repair, and upcycling;
An incubator for new circular economy activities (textiles, sports and leisure items, wood).

– https://www.grenoblealpesmetropole.fr/327-le-soutien-a-l-economie-circulaire.htm

Murianette's Anaerobic Digestor

Lucia Lopez — 2026-04-14T13:01:13Z

A major project for the energy transition of the territory whose construction is underway

By the end of 2027, the composting center will be modernized and produce biogas from food waste.

Local and sustainable project, as well as the integration into the territory's energy transition strategy.
Circular economy and energy potential of food waste sorting.

– https://www.grenoblealpesmetropole.fr/actualite/213/45-centre-de-compostage-de-murianette-ou-les-dechets-deviennent-une-richesse.htm

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

Biodiversity

Lucia Lopez — 2026-03-26T13:46:08Z

Beyond health and climate issues, the sustainable and circular management of resources and waste plays a crucial role in preserving biodiversity, both on land and in aquatic environments. Every year, billions of tonnes of household waste are produced worldwide, more than a third of which is not treated properly. This waste contaminates soil, rivers and oceans, contributing directly to the erosion of biodiversity. Thus, 80% of waste in aquatic environments originates from poor waste management on land.

Poor waste management leads to the pollution of soil and aquatic environments, the degradation of natural habitats, the poisoning of wildlife through ingestion or exposure to toxic substances, and the disruption of food chains. Microplastics, for example, are now present in all ecosystems, from agricultural soils to the deep sea, with consequences that are still poorly understood but potentially significant for species and biological balances.

Implementing Environmentally Sound Waste Management

In light of these findings, the Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of waste, as defined by Article 2(8) of the Basel Convention, which aims to protect the environment and health, constitutes an essential solution for safeguarding biodiversity. It helps to limit the sector's negative impacts on living organisms and ecosystems through:

Improved waste collection, to prevent waste from leaking into the environment, particularly plastics and microplastics, in both terrestrial and aquatic environments;
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 landfills compliant with the Basel Convention's waste management guidelines;
Prevention, the first step in the waste management hierarchy, which reduces waste generation and the use of natural resources, thereby helping to reduce human pressure on ecosystems, fauna and flora.
The implementation of the circular economy hierarchy of actions, as cross-sectoral measures that will restore balance with natural resources through changes in production, consumption and usage patterns.

The objectives of the FSWP

In this context, the FSWP promotes sustainable waste management that is fully integrated with biodiversity issues, and encourages collective and cross-sectoral mobilisation to protect life on land and below water, in full alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – especially SDGs 14 and 15. Its main objectives are:

To strengthen the integration of waste management into local and national biodiversity protection policies and strategies, particularly for the implementation of the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Agreement.
To promote concrete and operational solutions for the Environmentally Sound Management of waste – starting with the collection of all waste and the end of open dumping and open burning – thereby limiting the impacts of waste on ecosystems and living organisms.
Support the gradual development and improvement of effective waste management systems tailored to each context, in order to reduce diffuse pollution.
Encourage the circular economy by promoting waste prevention, recycling and recovery to limit pressure on natural resources.
Promote cooperation between public and private actors to share best practices, pool efforts, and accelerate the transitions.

Health

Lucia Lopez — 2026-03-26T13:19:29Z

Waste management is a key determinant of human health. Inadequate waste management directly exposes communities, workers and ecosystems to significant health risks, contributing to the spread of diseases, the release of toxic substances and the deterioration of living conditions. Appropriate and sustainable waste management systems on the other hand are a powerful tool for improving public health and preventing risks.

Poorly managed waste can contaminate water resources and soil, cause air pollution (particularly through open burning, which generates emissions of dioxins, furans, POPs and black carbon), encourage the proliferation of disease vectors, and expose populations to persistent toxic substances.

Improving waste management is a key lever for reducing these risks. It relies in particular on source reduction and eco-design to limit hazardous substances, the establishment of functional collection systems, the safe management of hazardous and medical waste, the restriction of high-risk practices (open burning and open dumping), and the protection of workers and exposed populations.

Thus, the Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of waste to protect the environment and health (Article 2(8) of the Basel Convention) is a key driver for adopting the One Health approach, which recognises the interdependence between human health, animal health and the health of ecosystems. Indeed, it enables:

Improved public health,
The protection of ecosystems, and
Reducing pressures on biodiversity.

The objectives of the FSWP

In this context, the FSWP is committed to promoting an integrated approach to waste management, aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (in particular SDG 3) and fully aligned with the One Health principles:

Integrating global health issues (human, animal and environmental) into waste management policies and strategies.
Strengthen waste management systems to reduce health and environmental risks, particularly in the most vulnerable contexts.
Promote the safe management of hazardous and medical waste, in line with international recommendations.
Reduce exposure to pollution and toxic substances by promoting prevention and the circular economy.
Encourage cross-cutting approaches and cooperation between sectors (health, environment, local authorities, research).
Contribute to international commitments, particularly in the areas of health, biodiversity and sustainable development.

A publication highlighting the links between waste management and human health

The FSWP invites you to read the World Health Organisation (WHO) publication released in December 2025. This document summarises current knowledge on the links between solid waste, pollution and human health, highlighting the dangers, routes of exposure, the most vulnerable populations and the need to strengthen prevention, ESM of waste and the involvement of the health sector in public policy.

Read the publication

What a Waste 3.0

Lucia Lopez — 2026-03-24T13:53:02Z

Published by the World Bank Group, What a Waste 3.0 is the third edition of a global series dedicated to municipal solid waste management at the global level.

Building on the 2012 and 2018 editions, this report provides an updated and expanded analysis based on the most recent publicly available data, covering 217 countries and economies and 262 cities. It compiles structured information on waste generation, composition, collection, treatment, and disposal, as well as on regulatory frameworks, institutional arrangements, costs, and financing mechanisms.

Designed as a technical reference, the publication aims to provide a comprehensive global dataset to support analysis, planning, and benchmarking of waste management systems. It does not put forward policy recommendations, but instead makes data widely accessible to support evidence-based decision-making and informed dialogue across the sector.

Against the backdrop of rising waste volumes, increasing environmental pressures, and persistent service gaps, What a Waste 3.0 highlights the scale and urgency of the global challenge. By making this information available at a global level, the report contributes to establishing a common foundation for action and supports the transition toward more efficient and circular systems.

This resource is intended for national and local governments, development institutions, researchers, private sector actors, and practitioners working in waste management, the circular economy, and urban development.

Waste Wise Cities Tool

Lucia Lopez — 2026-03-23T15:43:21Z

Developed as part of the Waste Wise Cities initiative, the Waste Wise Cities Tool (WaCT) is an operational guide designed to help local governments assess the performance of their municipal waste management systems.

Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators, this tool enables the measurement of:

Municipal solid waste management (SDG 11.6.1),
Food waste generation (SDG 12.3.1),
As well as resource recovery systems (SDG 12.5.1).

The guide proposes a seven-step methodology for collecting and analyzing reliable data on waste generation, collection, and treatment. It also includes practical tools, such as household surveys, questionnaires on resource recovery chains, and criteria for assessing the environmental conditions of waste management.

Recognizing the diversity of local contexts, WaCT offers an approach tailored to the different levels of development of urban systems and aims to support the continuous improvement of environmental performance.

This resource is intended for local governments, public decision-makers, and all stakeholders seeking a solid foundation to improve waste management and move toward more sustainable and efficient systems.

Circular Economy

Lucia Lopez — 2026-03-23T14:42:07Z

Circular economy is not an end in itself. Its ultimate goal is not to “increase recycling” or “close loops”, but to build a future where value creation is decoupled from environmental bads —including resource extraction, and waste generation.

Given the imperative of ecological, economic and social transition, the French Solid Waste Partnership (FSWP) is contributing to international discussions on what a circular economy could ultimately look like in 2050, both in France and around the world.

The purposes of the circular economy

In public debate, circular economy is often reduced to recycling. However, recent international work – in particular the ISO 59004 norm, adopted in 2024, which breaks down the “10R” principle* into 13 actions ordered according to the life cycle – shows that a complete circular economy begins well before recycling and continues well beyond it. Refusing and avoiding some products or uses, rethinking the needs, adapting production through eco-design, reducing resource consumption, reusing, repairing, reconditioning, remanufacturing, repurposing, recycling, recovering energy, and even recovering materials stored in historic landfill sites: these actions form a coherent scale where recycling and energy recovery are at the bottom, once all the levers of reduction, moderation, sustainability, reuse and repair have been activated.

These coordinated actions only make sense when viewed in the context of the three objectives of circular economy: to reduce environmental and health impacts, to maintain an economy that creates value and jobs, and to ensure our societies' resource sovereignty and resilience.

The current mostly linear model

Today, our production methods remain dominated by the manufacturing of products that are not very durable or repairable. Our economic models are based on individual ownership of goods and unsustainable consumption. The reuse and repair economy exists but remains largely confined to the social and solidarity economy. These production and consumption models maintain strong pressure on natural resources, ecosystems and the climate, and contribute to exceeding planetary boundaries.

2050 horizon: an economy compatible with the “3-D” vision

In a 2050 scenario compatible with vision set forth by the FSWP - for a future where economic growth is decoupled from environmental bads, and therefore decontaminated and decarbonised -, virgin material flows are drastically reduced. Fewer products are manufactured, but they are more durable, repairable and better designed. The economy is organised around models of functionality or performance, in which the producer or lessor retains ownership of the good or responsibility for its end of life. Reuse, repair, refurbishment and remanufacturing activities are no longer marginal: they form a structural part of the economic fabric, primarily at local level, with stable business models and strong social and professional recognition.

Waste management systems also evolve. Worldwide, all waste is managed in accordance with Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) as defined by the Basel Convention. Very little waste remains to be treated: the return to soil of organic materials is secured through high-quality upstream sorting by users and suitable packaging; material recycling relies on value chains capable of providing regular, standardised, traceable flows; and energy recovery focuses on non-recyclable volumes.

The circular economy would therefore become a means to reduce environmental impacts and strengthen economic resilience, in service of a truly decarbonised, depolluted and decoupled future—one in which health, the well-being of living systems, human dignity and access to decent living conditions are central.

Read the full Position Paper about Circular Economy and a 2050 Vision :

Circular Economy Note

See the complete circular economy schematic :

Complete Outline

*Kirchherr, J. et al. (2017). Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions. Resources, Conservation & Recycling [online], No. 127. p. 224. [Last consulted 13 March 2026]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.09.005.

Protection of water resources

Lucia Lopez — 2026-03-18T15:08:15Z

80% of waste in aquatic environments originates from poor waste management 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 pollution in aquatic environments (rivers, seas, oceans), protecting water resources, and preventing flooding.

Implementing ESM as defined by the Basel Convention.

Implementing such management systems is complex and requires the control of waste collection, treatment, and disposal in order to protect both human health and the environment.

Establishing waste management systems compliant with the Basel Convention helps prevent waste from leaking into the environment and thus:

Protect aquatic environments and access to drinking water
Protect biodiversity and marine ecosystems
Control leachate and the risks of groundwater contamination
Prevent blockages in urban drainage systems and reduce the risk of flooding

Waste management has infrastructure and environment costs, but the cost of inaction far exceeds the cost of implementing ESM measures. Its financing must therefore rely on a range of financial instruments that involve both public and private actors.

Reducing waste volume at source by transitioning to a circular economy.

Our linear use of resources depletes Nature and causes us to produce far too much waste. We must reduce our consumption of virgin materials through a change in production, consumption, and usage models, based on reducing, reusing, repairing, and ultimately recycling, through solutions adapted to each type of product.

The mechanical consequence of this transition to a circular economy is a reduction in future waste volumes, which helps reducing investment costs as well as environmental and social impacts.

Discover the FSWP's position for the upcoming United Nations Water Conference.

Discover