ISWA International Solid Waste Association

ISWA extends warm holiday greetings to all our members, partners, and supporters as we round off the year! This year has brought many achievements, not just for our Association but for the waste and resource management sector as a whole. As we celebrate our collective successes of 2024, we wish our ISWA community a joyful, restful, and restorative holiday season. Thank you for being part of our journey. We look forward to returning with renewed energy and sustained enthusiasm to continue driving positive change together! Happy holidays!

ISWA begins the new year with a visit to Abu Dhabi for the World Future Energy Summit. Hosted by Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company) in partnership with ISWA's Platinum Member Tadweer Group, the Summit will run from 14 to 16 January and bring together industry influencers, problem solvers and cutting-edge solutions - all working on the blueprint for a sustainable future. ISWA's Managing Director, Marc Tijhuis will participate in a panel discussion about ISWA’s Road to COP30 during the Pathways to 1.5C conference on Tuesday, January 14. For more information and registration, visit the website linked below. https://lnkd.in/dZRvrQw6

We're going to Buenos Aires! 😁 ...And you can come with us! Submit your abstract for the 2025 ISWA World Congress, hosted by our National Member in Argentina ARS - Asociación para el Estudio de los Residuos Sólidos! ISWA's annual flagship event is a truly global gathering of waste professionals, academics and policymakers, coming together to exchange best practices and expert knowledge on sustainable solid waste management and the transition towards a circular economy. The call for abstracts for #ISWA2025 is officially open through 1 March 2025. Head to www.iswa2025.org for information on the conference topics and submission form! ¡Nos vemos en Buenos Aires!

Right of the back of #COP29 in Azerbaijan, Carlos RV Silva Filho represents ISWA at the 5th Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution (INC-5), in Busan, Republic of Korea. In preparation for #INC5, ISWA issued Key Messages to provide decision-makers with five overarching messages for tackling the global waste management challenges: 👉 Reduce plastic waste 👉 Ensure collection of all waste, especially plastics  👉 Upgrade illegal and open dumpsites Ban open burning of waste 👉 Increase the role and accountability of extended producer responsibility schemes 👉 Provide waste management solutions applicable to socio-economic and cultural conditions With these in hand, Carlos will be representing ISWA at plenaries and meetings for the rest of the week. Follow Carlos' daily updates for an in-depth look at the proceedings in Busan!

With the ISWA delegation back at their respective home stations, we have an inspiring two weeks of COP29 Azerbaijan to reflect on. In our post-COP reflection, we are celebrating the successes of our delegation at the Waste and Resources Pavilion; the highly relevant and important conversations which they got to lead and participate in all around the conference venue, and the historic initiative from the COP Presidency to highlight the important role of waste management in reducing methane emissions, through a signed Declaration launched at #COP29. Once again, we would like to thank our Pavilion Partners for their support and active contributions in making our collective, impactful presence at COP29 a reality. CLOCC (Clean Oceans through Clean Communities) Clean Rivers Global Methane Hub SUEZ Partenariat français pour les déchets / French Solid Waste Partnership Kanadevia Inova Avfall Norge

Whilst it feels like all eyes are on #COP29, ISWA is happy to report there is still life outside of the Waste and Resources Pavilion, in the Green Zone at COP29 Azerbaijan. Happening today: ISWA's National Member in Germany German RETech Partnership e.V. is hosting the annual International RETech Conference 2024 in Berlin, Germany, and you still have a chance to attend! Next week, Avfall Sverige welcomes participants to the 12th ISWA Beacon Conference 2024 On Waste to Energy, which will be held from 27 to 29 November in Stockholm! And, one week later on December 6th, ISWA's Young Professionals Group YPG hosts an Online Masterclass on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Management - which is free to attend from wherever you are in the world! Check out our full event listing and registration information on the link below! https://lnkd.in/dxTzjP8m

Join #ISWAatCOP for two final sessions at the Waste and Resources Pavilion in the Green Zone at COP29 Azerbaijan. Find us at Stand A10 tomorrow morning for a session on community action against plastic pollution with speakers from CLOCC (Clean Oceans through Clean Communities), Climate Tech Propel, UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) and Catalytic Finance Foundation on the panel, from 10.00 - 11.30 AM. In the afternoon, Clean Rivers leads our last session on collaborative solutions for clean waterways and waste management. We're excited to round off an intense and fruitful two weeks at #COP29. Thank you to our Pavilion Partners Clean Rivers CLOCC (Clean Oceans through Clean Communities) Global Methane Hub SUEZ Partenariat français pour les déchets / French Solid Waste Partnership Kanadevia Inova Avfall Norge for your active participation and expert contributions!

“Policymakers, investors and banks need to start to think creatively and see waste as a valuable resource." The Waste and Resources Pavilion in the Green Zone at COP29 Azerbaijan has seen many expert panellists, national representatives, and inspiring changemakers participate in sessions and exciting conversations. Helena Nageler-Petritz followed the stories from #ISAatCOP about the opportunities in the waste and resource sector across the Blue and Green Zones, using her voice, or pen rather, with Waste Management World - WMW to highlight the important yet untapped impact that the sector could have in the fight against climate change. Read on through the link in the comments about Helena's insights from #COP29 conversations on climate finance, the ideas around local and regional solutions for global problems, and ambitious projects from around the world.

Join #ISWAatCOP tomorrow, for a joint session with #EngineeringX on "Investing in Impact: Financing transformative action to end open burning of waste", hosted in the the Waste and Resources Pavilion in the Green Zone at COP29 Azerbaijan. Learn about the complex challenge of financing work to improve the waste sector, and the three upcoming regional roadmaps on transformative action to end open burning of waste in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Thank you to our session and pavilion partners Royal Academy of Engineering CLOCC (Clean Oceans through Clean Communities) Clean Rivers Catalytic Finance Foundation Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) Global Methane Hub SUEZ Partenariat français pour les déchets / French Solid Waste Partnership Kanadevia Inova Avfall Norge for your active participation and expert contributions!

Moments ago, the High-Level Launch of the #COP29 Reducing Methane from Organic Waste Declaration came to a close in the Blue Zone in Baku, at COP29 Azerbaijan. ISWA President James Law represented the Association at this meeting, standing in solidarity with national and organisational members of the community that convened to emphasise their continuing endorsement of the Global Methane Pledge and applaud the COP Presidency's initiative to highlight the important role of waste management in reducing methane emissions. Inger Andersen, Executive Director UN Environment Programme, underscored the critical need for immediate action: “We need to see ambition, and we need to see action. Waste is growing, and methane from organic waste represents a significant challenge. Yet, by turning ‘waste’ into wealth, we can make meaningful progress.” The message of this declaration is very closely aligned to ISWA’s own Declaration for COP29, released in October, which highlights the critical role of organic waste management in curbing methane emissions. James Law urged the present delegates to "work together to turn waste into opportunity, pollution into progress, and methane reduction into a tangible climate victory. The stakes could not be higher" The session emphasised the need for immediate action, international collaboration, and innovation to address methane emissions effectively. ISWA is proud and excited to be part of a momentous occasion in the COP's history. We look forward to the progress that will surely follow this strong message and directive.