Jessi Amason (DUBAI)

In a trailblazing move to address the escalating global waste crisis and its severe ramifications on the planet, Tadweer, the Abu Dhabi Waste Management Company, officially launched the Waste to Zero initiative at the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), in the context of the UAE COP28 Presidency.

With the endorsement of the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, and in partnership with Roland Berger, this initiative marks a crucial step towards formalising waste management practices and integrating them into the global climate action agenda.

Urgent Need for Action

Current waste management practices are alarmingly detrimental to the environment, with waste emissions representing an estimated 3 per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to estimates, landfilling alone produces around 20 per cent of global methane emissions, a greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to climate change.

With an estimated 18 billion tonnes of solid waste generated each year and a projected 50 per cent increase in waste generation by 2050, the often overlooked sector contributes more than its share to the climate crisis.

Worsening these figures is the fact that common illegal waste practices, such as open dumping and open burning, directly generate CO2 and methane emissions at rampant and unquantifiable rates.

This is where the Waste to Zero initiative steps in, aiming to combat this crisis by formalising waste management practices through a voluntary coalition of regulators, investors, and sector stakeholders to focus on reducing methane emissions from waste and wastewater, promote recycling and circular economy principles, and address food loss and waste.

Aletihad spoke with Ali Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Tadweer, who shared his thoughts on the initiative.

“The Waste to Zero initiative is the first global voluntary initiative that invites governments, private and public sector operators, and NGOs to come together in a coalition to address the emissions generated from the waste and recycling sector at a global level,” Al Dhaheri said.

Incorporating Waste Management into COP28 Agenda

The launch of Waste to Zero has successfully integrated waste management as part of COP28's official agenda, an all-time first in the history of COPs.

“I'm proud and happy to share that Tadweer has managed in partnership with the International Solid Waste Association to bring the sector under the spotlight for the first time in COP history in the Blue Zone,” Al Dhaheri shared.

“We are bringing it to the front stage of COP.  Hopefully, that's just the beginning of the focus that we're trying to drive towards – the importance and significance of the sector, and to what extent it really contributes to the overall circular economy and the sustainability story.”

The Initiative's Objectives

Waste to Zero seeks to bridge the gap between the current state of the waste management sector and an ambitious future where waste becomes a resource, rather than a burden. In its aim to decarbonsise the waste management sector, the initiative aims to unlock the potential of the circular economy while improving environmental health.

The initiative creates a non-binding coalition involving all relevant stakeholders, including governments, financial entities, waste management companies, NGOs, and academia, and implementing circular economy principles throughout the entire waste management value chain.

Three Key Milestones

Waste to Zero aims to deliver on three main milestones by 2025, including the initiation of the initiative at COP28, the proposition of industry-backed targets, and the launch of the first projects.

The initiative’s first contribution will involve an initial, comprehensive assessment of the sector’s GHG emissions throughout the entire waste management process at a global scale, from collection to disposal.

“We aim to present the three milestones and deliver upon them within the next couple of years. The first one starts with baselining the emissions that are generated from within the sector,” Al Dhaheri said.

Using the generated baseline as a starting point, the initiative will propose an emissions reduction target for the sector by COP29, representing the waste management sector’s first coordinated contribution to the Paris Agreement. COP30 will see the launch of the first projects, along with updates on impacts achieved, and the growth of funding sources and the coalition as a whole.

Al Dhaheri also identified prioritising and preparing bankable infrastructure projects in various countries and regions as another key objective of the initiative.

The initiative will also collaborate with other coalitions to establish funding vehicles, voluntary recycling credit standards, and voluntary carbon credit markets.

The UAE’s Environmental Leadership

“I think and strongly believe that this initiative will demonstrate that the UAE continues to be at the forefront when it comes to climate change initiatives and efforts. We are leading a global initiative to achieve alignment and maintain focus on the implementation pipeline and projects that will ensure we achieve the targets of the Paris Agreement and environmental preservation,” Al Dhaheri said.

Interested institutions are invited to join Waste to Zero by signing up through the online registration provided on the initiative's official website. Governments, international organisations, financial entities, waste management companies, waste producers, NGOs, and academic institutions are encouraged to collaborate in this voluntary coalition.