International Day of Zero Waste - 30 March

Tags: Important Days

The United Nations General Assembly has announced that March 30 will be observed as the International Day of Zero Waste every year from 2023 and the day aims to encourage sustainable consumption and production practices and help achieve the goals of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. To increase understanding of ways to help waste efforts.

An Overview of the News

• Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri organised the "Swachhotsav - 2023: Rally for Garbage Free Cities" in New Delhi.

• The theme of International Zero Waste Day 2023 – 'Achieving sustainable and environmentally sound practices to reduce and manage waste'.

• The United Nations has provided data indicating that approximately 2.24 billion tons of municipal solid wasteis produced each year, of which only 55% is disposed of in management facilities. In addition, an estimated 931 million tons of food is wasted annually, and 14 million tons of plastic waste enter aquatic ecosystems each year.

• The International Day of Zero Waste provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the negative effects of waste on the environment, including landfills, pollution and resource depletion.

• The proposal to establish an International Day of Zero Waste was co-sponsored by Turkey and 105 other countries, and is part of a series of proposals dealing with waste.

About United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)

• It is a global organisation focused on protecting the environment and promoting sustainable development.

• It addresses a wide range of environmental challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and sustainable consumption and production.

• UNEP works in more than 150 countries and is committed to promoting environmental justice and the rights of marginalised communities.

• Some of UNEP's major achievements include the development of the Montreal Protocol, the creation of the Global Environment Facility, and the establishment of the IPCC to assess the science of climate change.