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UN Day

International Day of Zero Waste 2024

30 March 2024

Overview

Event map

Calendar

UN Advisory Board

Resources

Access Zero Waste Day assets here.

The International Day of Zero Waste highlights both the importance of bolstering waste management globally and the need to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Every year, humanity generates between 2.1 billion and 2.3 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste. Some 2.7 billion people lack access to waste collection, 2 billion of whom live in rural areas. Waste pollution significantly threatens human well-being, economic prosperity, and the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution. Without urgent action, annual municipal solid waste generation will hit 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb7BLupWO-U

Millions worldwide observed the inaugural International Day of Zero Waste in 2023, raising awareness of national, subnational, regional, and local zero-waste initiatives and their contribution to achieving sustainable development.

Zero-waste initiatives can foster sound waste management and minimize and prevent waste generation. To #BeatWastePollution, we must bolster waste management while improving resource recovery and substantially reducing waste generation. Prevention, reduction, reuse, repurposing and recycling are critical to this endeavour.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) facilitate the observance of the Day. All Member States, organizations of the United Nations system and relevant stakeholders are encouraged to implement zero-waste initiatives at local, regional, subnational and national levels.

Please visit the Events tab to find out how stakeholders worldwide are celebrating Zero Waste Day.

To celebrate the second annual International Day of Zero Waste, offices and partners from around the world are invited to organize activities and events, including creative exhibits, panel discussions, social media campaigns, training sessions and waste collection drives.

Find events near you and join the zero-waste movement by exploring the interactive map below.

^{Disclaimer: The inclusion of non-UN events on this map does not imply full endorsement or participation by UNEP, UN-Habitat or other UN agencies.}

Please direct any queries to michael.teoh[at]un.org and moeka.yamaguchi[at]un.org.

Mark your calendars with details of the latest zero-waste events from UNEP, UN-Habitat and partners.

3 April

Global Zero Waste: Día Mundial Basura Cero | Online | 3 April; 9 a.m. COT, 3 p.m. CET

Global Zero Waste will host keynote speeches and share success stories and presentations of new challenges.

Learn more.

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30 March

Zero-waste City Construction | Online | 11 p.m. EET, 12 p.m. EAT, 5 p.m. CST

Poster for BCRC event on ZWD 2024.

City representatives from Australia, Brazil, China, Lebanon and New Zealand showcase practices of zero-waste initiatives in different regions.

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29 March

GAIA: #ThisIsZeroWaste video

Learn more about zero waste with this video from the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives.

Learn more.

Thailand's Zero Waste Practices | Bangkok | 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. ICT

The event will feature exhibitions showcasing Thailand’s best practices on waste management, two panel discussions and more.

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27 March

UN observance | CR-12, United Nations Headquarters, New York | 10–11:30 a.m. ET

Member States and stakeholders are invited to share initiatives promoting zero waste at various levels to reduce waste generation and enhance responsible waste management.

UNEP/UN-Habitat observance | CR-4, United Nations Office at Nairobi | 3–4:30 p.m. EAT

The UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste will announce outstanding zero-waste practices during the event, which is co-organized with the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Türkiye.

Tune in.

UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 launch | Online | 8:30–9:30 a.m. EDT, 1:30–2:30 p.m. CET, 3:30–4:30 p.m. EAT

UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 authors, government representatives, and food waste and loss experts share their expertise through discussions of the report’s key findings.

Tune in.

Geneva Environment Network observance | Geneva & online | 2–3:30 p.m. CET

Banner for GEN observance of second ZWD.

Governments, UN agencies and environmental organizations highlight the role of Geneva as a major global hub for the governance of hazardous substances and home to several international organizations and Multilateral Environmental Agreements aiming at reaching the zero-waste goal.

Learn more and register.

GAIA: The Year of Zero Waste: From Momentum to Action | Online | 9 a.m. CET, 11 a.m. EAT, 1:30 p.m. IST, 9 p.m. NZDT

Policymakers, grassroots community leaders, climate and waste finance experts, and zero-waste implementers discuss how to escalate progress on zero waste worldwide based on current trends, obstacles and proven strategies.

South-East Europe Pollution Platform | Vienna & online | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CET (26 March); 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (27 March)

The conference aims to facilitate and foster discussions on current and innovative strategies, possibilities, policies and practices that promote waste prevention, reduction, recycling, and circular economy principles to create a cleaner and healthier environment in the Western Balkan economies. Additionally, it will actively encourage collaboration amongst different actors and sectors, aiming to promote sustainable practices and the adoption of environmentally friendly technologies.

Learn more and register.

Adopting Integrated Solid Waste Management towards Zero Waste Cities | Online | 4:30–6 p.m. JST

Flyer for Adopting Integrated Solid Waste Management towards Zero Waste Cities event

This online event is designed to delve into practical actions for achieving zero-waste cities.

Learn more and register.

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26 March

Zero Waste Futures | Online | 10–11:30 a.m. EST, 4–5:30 p.m. CET, 6–7:30 p.m. EAT

Zero Waste Futures event poster

The UNEP International Environment Technology Centre, the Caribbean Sub-Regional Office (CSRO) and the Children and Youth Major Group to UNEP (CYMG) will co-organize an online event targeting stakeholders across regions and oceans, especially youth and experts to promote the global shift towards zero waste.

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Week of 11 March

Zero Waste Europe: Impactful policies | Online

The second week of Zero Waste Europe's month-long International Zero Waste Day campaign focuses on impactful policies.

Learn more.

Northern California Recycling Association: Recycling Update | California, United States | 11 March; 8 a.m. PDT

Poster for Northern California Recycling Association's Recycling Update.

NCRA's Recycling Update features 25 experts on the spectrum of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot, as well as networking opportunities and plenty of ideas.

Learn more.

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Week of 4 March

Zero Waste Europe: Prevention first | Online

Banner photo of Zero Waste Europe's agenda.

The first week of Zero Waste Europe's month-long International Zero Waste Day campaign focuses on prevention first.

Learn more.

On Zero Waste Day, UN Advisory Board outlines good practices

Delegates in conference room during Nairobi observance of 2024 Zero Waste Day.

UNEP/Ahmed Nayim Yussuf

Nairobi, 27 March 2024 – To commemorate the second annual International Day of Zero Waste, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste has announced three outstanding practices in waste management from around the globe.

The Advisory Board – whose Secretariat is the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) – selected these good practices based on their significant contribution to the global effort to achieving zero waste, with each good practice offering insights and lessons for replication and adaptation in other contexts. One of the outstanding practices is a certification to incentivise single-use plastic reduction in the hospitality industry of Spain’s Balearic Islands. The second equips Indigenous women working in Nigeria’s cassava value chain with machines and skills to increase productivity and minimize post-harvest losses by recycling cassava peel into nutritious animal feed. The third focuses on reducing glass waste.

“As the Chair of the United Nations Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste, I believe that (raising) awareness of waste-free and sustainable life will be one of the most favourable legacies we can leave to future generations,” said Her Excellency the First Lady of Türkiye, Emine Erdoğan.

The dissemination of the selected good practices through UNEP’s One Planet network intends to provide citizens, the private sector, civil society organizations, governments and any actor in the waste chain with information to enable them to prioritize waste management and implement and replicate initiatives that contribute to addressing the global waste crisis.

Established under United Nations General Assembly resolution 77/161, the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Zero Waste promotes local and national zero-waste initiatives through awareness-raising, local and national zero-waste initiatives, and dissemination of good practices and success stories.

The International Day of Zero Waste serves as a platform to recognize and celebrate the remarkable achievements of individuals, organizations, and communities dedicated to minimizing waste and promoting environmental sustainability.

UNEP and UN-Habitat reiterated the importance of the International Day of Zero Waste in separate remarks.

“Humanity can't keep letting poorly managed waste compromise human and environmental health,” said Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director of UNEP’s Economy Division.

Michal Mlynár, Acting Executive Director of UN-Habitat, said: “Zero waste makes sense on every level. By retaining materials within the economy and enhancing waste management practices, we bring benefits to our economies, our societies, our planet, and ourselves.”

About UN-Habitat

UN-Habitat is the United Nations entity responsible for sustainable urbanization. It has programmes in over 90 countries supporting policymakers and communities to create socially and environmentally sustainable cities and towns. UN-Habitat promotes transformative change in cities through knowledge, policy advice, technical assistance, and collaborative action. To know more, visit www.unhabitat.org or follow us on X @UNHABITAT.

About the UN Environment Programme

UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

For further information, please contact:

Katerina Bezgachina, UN-Habitat Chief of Communications

News and Media Unit, UN Environment Programme

Access the latest assets here.

Governments, businesses, individuals and more must embrace zero waste to overcome the waste pollution crisis. UNEP and its partners, including the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), regularly update the science on waste pollution and research new solutions.

Browse the latest reports linked below to find out everything you need to know to #BeatWastePollution.