The founder and CEO of ISB Global Chris Williams has said that better waste management and recycling is a critical part of the wider climate adaptation and mitigation effort; however, the issue received only limited attention at COP27 last November.
“In an ideal world, we would radically rethink how we view waste and consumption and set ourselves the goal of net zero waste,” Williams said. “But short of complete waste prevention, more efficient and effective waste management on a day-to-day level, and also across entire supply chains in industry and commerce, can ensure we tackle the problem.”
ISB Global is a waste management software provider which was founded in 1999.
Williams said the answer is to move towards a circular economy. He goes on to cite the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) which claimed that this could mitigate up to 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The company’s CEO continued that the initiatives announced at COP27 show the demand among people and organisations to improve waste management. However, he argues that to make a significant difference, there needs to be a “greater commitment at all levels of government” to improve current poor waste management practices across all nations.
In an ideal world, we would radically rethink how we view waste and consumption and set ourselves the goal of net zero waste.
“Waste still doesn’t feature as a standalone UN Climate Change topic and so doesn’t as yet attract the level of debate and action that’s needed to proactively and seriously address the contribution that poor waste management makes to climate change,” said Williams.
“The key, of course, is to prevent waste altogether. That means changing our attitudes to consumption by consuming less and instead reusing more of what at the moment we throw away.”
Williams concluded that the combination of improved waste management processes and more recycling is a “significant opportunity” to have a meaningful impact on greenhouse gas emissions. However, he continues that it’s also an opportunity to change the way individuals and organisations think about their consumption and waste.