ITS EDUCATION ASIA ARTICLE

International Day of Zero Waste

By Danny Harrington, MD ITS Education Asia

Tomorrow, 30 March, is the very first observance of the International Day of Zero Waste which was agreed in December 2022. It is a very pertinent observance as we see increasing amounts of waste generated across all sectors, driven by the dual factors of increasing population and increasing wealth (which leads to increasing consumption). Add to this the world’s “new consumers” being led down the wrong path that the post-industrial world followed as seeing consumption as some kind of badge of honour, of not being mindful of purchases and end of life decisions and of being presented with products still being designed and produced in linear economy models, and we have a recipe for disaster.

Resources wasted, disposal problems, implications for biodiversity through exceeding maximum yields and pollution, an ecological footprint off the charts. let’s hope this observance can start to generate more urgent action.