Waste

• [New] The total technical mitigation potential from crop and livestock activities, and agroforestry is estimated as 2.3-9.6 GtCO 2 eq yr -1 by 2050 (medium confidence).
• [New] Ahold Delhaize USA companies have announced innovative supply chain technologies that through enhanced forecasting capabilities will reduce waste by better predicting demand and supplying only the right amount of products to stores and ecommerce distribution points.
• [New] The Methane Waste Prevention Act of 2021 and the CLEAN Future Act both create national goals for reducing methane emissions at least 65% below 2012 levels by 2025, and 90% below 2012 levels by 2030.
• [New] The European Investment Bank will provide $138, 39 million (€114.5 million) in financial support to improve the drinking water supply and promote integrate solid waste management in Senegal.
• [New] A McKinsey report finds that deploying a suite of smart city applications in waste and water management could reduce average water consumption by 20 to 30% and reduce the amount of unrecycled solid waste per person by 15 to 20%, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• [New] Multiple studies that have sought to quantify plastic waste project that the amount of plastic pollution in the ocean will continue to increase over the next several decades.
• [New] Encouraging consumers to switch from small to medium-capacity beverages could help reduce plastic waste by over nine thousand tonnes per year in the USA.
• [New] The amount of PET used could be reduced by 1% each year, leading to a potential reduction of 9,052 tonnes of PET waste across the USA per year.
• [New] If the current plastic production and recycling trend continues, by 2050 roughly 12 billion metric tons of plastic waste will have accumulated as waste on our planet.
• [New] A global agreement to address the issue of marine plastic pollution could establish a common framework for data collection and assessment.
• [New] Measurement came up in the Break Free From Plastic report, with calls to boost funding so the EPA could develop and implement new data collection and reporting methodologies to accurately and transparently report waste reduction, recycling, and composting rates throughout the U.S.
• Victoria will ban certain single-use plastics by 2023 in a bid to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.
• Even more concerning trends are projected for waste generation - the amount of plastic waste entering the ocean in 2025 is expected to be 10 times higher than in 2010.
• Only a system-wide transformation will achieve well-being for all within the Earth's capacity to support life, provide resources and absorb waste.
• A tracking and trading platform for textile waste working to promote the concept of circular economy, it is possible to replace 40% of waste materials from garment manufacturing with recycled fibres by 2030.
• Essar Oil (UK) Limited (Essar) is joining forces with Fulcrum BioEnergy and Essar's subsidiary company Stanlow Terminals to create a new facility which will convert non-recyclable household waste into sustainable aviation fuel for use by airlines operating at UK airports.
• Coca-Cola will soon be trialling a paper bottle for its drinks, as part of its plan in moving towards what it calls zero waste.
• Announcing approximately 84% of packaging materials by volume were renewable, recyclable or compostable: To combat the growing issue of waste from plastic packaging, Conagra made progress on its goal to make 100% of its current plastic packaging renewable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
• The UK's Immingham Altalto project will use 500,000 tonnes of household and municipal waste to make 60m litres a year of higher-grade kerosene jet fuel.
• BA will invest in a new US plant to be built in Georgia by LanzaJet producing commercial-scale volumes of sustainable aviation fuel, made from ethanol derived from agricultural and other waste.
• Ahold Delhaize USA, too, will seek to reduce overall use of problematic single-use plastics by 2025, including making private-label products 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable and increasing recycled content by 25% by 2025.
• The North London Heat and Power Project, also known as EcoPark, will process rubbish from seven north London boroughs and turn non-recyclable waste into heat and power.
• Companies across the world are making an effort to design and develop technology that will improve fuel efficiency, reduce waste, and optimize port management to improve the supply chain efficiency.

Last updated: 07 March 2021