Waste Management to Address the Climate Crisis - French Solid Waste Partnership

As the climate crisis grows more urgent and international Climate COPs strive to build consensus on concrete mitigation measures, waste management is emerging as a crucial component of the solution. This publication brings together expert insights, practical solutions, and case studies to demonstrate how the Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of waste can help face the climate crisis.

Key messages
An Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of waste should be made available to all, everywhere around the world. Its implementation is only possible with the full commitment of stakeholders to their respective roles and responsibilities.
Waste management should be included in countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) given its undeniable potential in achieving the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Assessing direct and indirect GHG emissions (scopes 1, 2, 3 and avoided emissions) is key to guide decisions and policy making, as well as to evaluate and monitor the impacts of reduction levers.
Priority should be given to the levers of waste prevention and increased recyclability, while including the informal sector to ensure a just transition. However, the ESM of the waste that could not be avoided nor recycled, is just as much a priority to reduce methane and black carbon emissions. These two greenhouse gases both have a high global warming potential and result directly from mismanaged waste.
The public policy and regulatory levers are crucial in driving incremental change in waste prevention and management. They should include fiscal instruments enable a cost recovery approach to make waste management systems viable.
Financial mechanisms are key in bridging the existing funding gaps and in driving worldwide implementation of sustainable waste management systems.

This publication aims at inspiring all stakeholders directly or indirectly connected to the waste sector to build a common vision to drive local actions in this field, as a path towards climate change mitigation.

PressRelease.