New Delhi: Each year, on March 30, the International Day of Zero Waste is celebrated. The United Nations established this day to draw public attention to the need to address the global waste problem and promote sustainable practices aimed at achieving zero waste.
This year, the theme for the International Day of Zero Waste 2024 is “zero waste for a healthy planet.”
According to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “our planet is drowning under a torrent of trash.”
He emphasized that humanity produces more than two billion tons of municipal solid waste every year, which is “tossed away without regard for our water, land, and air.”
Rotting food, plastic bottles, chemical-laced electronics, and other items are a major concern. As trash decays, it releases planet-warming greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, pollutes water and soil, and spreads illness, disease, and even death. The UN Secretary-General emphasized the need for “an intervention” to address this pressing matter.
He called on businesses to “rethink their products to minimize wasteful packaging and maximize longevity and lifecycle.” He also urged consumers to “think twice about the goods and products they purchase and recycle or reuse wherever possible.”
The UN Secretary-General also stressed the importance of implementing circular economies at all levels to address resource depletion and promote waste prevention. He also called for a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution.
On this Zero Waste Day, the global community is urged to “pledge to end the destructive cycle of waste, once and for all.”