Learning from the global zero waste movement at the 2024 International Zero Waste Cities Conference
What does a global movement look like in practice?
What does it mean to be part of a global movement?
At the start of July, a small group of ZWE staff and members attended the 2024 International Zero Waste Cities Conference (IZWCC) and the Methane Summit, organised by GAIA and Nipe Fagio in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The events brought together over 200 participants from all corners of the globe and a range of different sectors (city officials, financial institutions, civil society, wastepickers) to discuss some of the critical themes that those working on zero waste cities around the world are facing today.
We shortly caught up with the ZWE members present in Tanzania on some of their highlights and what they learnt most from this global zero waste movement gathering. These members include:
- Juliette Franquet (Zero Waste France)
- Vanja Cicmil (Zero Waste Montenegro)
- Ismael Casotti (ZERO – Associação Sistema Terrestre Sustentável)
- Piotr Barczak (Polish Zero Waste Association)
The ZWE delegation at the 2024 Zero Waste Cities Conference and the Methane Summit in Tanzania.
From left to right: Vanja Cicmil (Zero Waste Montenegro); Jack McQuibban (Zero Waste Europe); Piotr Barczak (Polish Zero Waste Association); Juliette Franquet (Zero Waste France); Stephanie Yates (Zero Waste Europe); Esra Tat (Zero Waste Europe); Ismael Casotti (ZERO – Associação Sistema Terrestre Sustentável)
Can you briefly describe your role in the meetings/conference and how that experience was for you?
Vanja: I had the honour of moderating the panel on best practices in food waste prevention and management. I introduced speakers from Senegal, Chile, Brazil, Portugal, and Indonesia, and facilitated the discussion. Connecting with fellow zero wasters from around the world and hearing their stories was enriching and allowed me to contribute, share insights from Montenegro, and learn a lot from others.
Ismael: On the second day of the conference, I had the chance to present on a panel about food waste prevention with speakers from four continents, something that was unusual for me but very exciting. The motivation that speakers showed during their short time allocation was enough to showcase how important it is to share best practices and incredible achievements for our work.
Piotr: I presented a bridge strategy for responsible residual waste management. As we are on the journey to zero waste, we still need to ensure solutions for the ever-decreasing leftover waste. We oppose incineration and we show other strategies to reduce the impact of residual waste. Aside from my session, I was happy to join discussions on the European waste directives, the waste situation in Poland, and the Black Soldier Fly technology that I currently implement in other African countries.
Juliette: As a Board member of ZWE, I attended the global advisory hub before the conferences dedicated to ZW cities and methane. I was glad to hear about all the great work being done by our colleagues around the world and share our activities in Europe. We also discussed strategic issues such as environmental justice, resource mobilisation, and governance of a global movement.
What similarities and differences could you draw between the work in other global regions and the work in Europe?
Vanja: One big similarity is the shared commitment to enabling zero waste regardless of the context and circumstance. It was an ultimate showcase of how scalable and flexible zero waste systems are. The differences lie in how we approach the problem. In Europe, there’s a lot of focus on policy and innovation, while in some other regions the emphasis is more on community engagement and basic infrastructure. These differences are fascinating in showing how much we can learn from each other. Despite Montenegro’s geographic position in Europe, I found a lot of relatedness with the context and situation in other continents, realising we’re somewhere between these two realities.
Ismael: On the one hand, the European context often contrasts with the reality in most continents and countries represented in the conference – this is primarily visible in the overwhelming legal framework that determines most of our implementation work. On the other hand, the different starting point for most discussions shouldn’t be seen as a negative point – instead, it shows that demonstrative projects can be successful at various levels, and can create solid bases for subsequent legal developments, enhancing scalability and adaptability. Overall, it was successfully showcased that the zero waste approach is broadly resilient and applicable, bringing us together to share discussions at the same table to solve various issues and promote sustainable practices in faraway realities.
Juliette: Members of GAIA worldwide are in very different contexts in many ways. Nevertheless, I was amazed at how we shared the same vision and DNA. We are a global community with “nerds” who can talk for hours on topics such as incineration, plastics, organics, and reuse – but also social justice, movement building, grassroots organisation, etc.
Photo highlights from the 2024 International Zero Waste Cities Conference (click on the photos to enlarge).
Photo credits: GAIA and Zero Waste Europe.
Why are these global spaces important?
Vanja: Global spaces like this conference are vital because they bring diverse perspectives and experiences together. They allow us to learn from each other, share best practices, and build a stronger, unified movement towards zero waste.
Ismael: I am nothing but grateful to have been present at such an event with global discussions. Even though the everyday work of our NGO undeniably depends on the local reality (politics, social dynamics, etc), I really appreciated having the chance to meet other realities which are also tied to the final destination of some EU waste exports. At the end of the day, we should all be aware of the global context, of where our waste could possibly end up, and of the consequences of different waste management policies.
Can you share an interesting conversation or encounter/network experience you had? Who was it with, and what did you talk about/ learn?
Ismael: I had the opportunity to meet the wastepickers’ representative for Chile, who made me aware of the importance of the sector for regions where municipal waste systems are not 100% reliable. These conclusions could be applied to the reuse sector at the European level, where informal workers are an essential piece of the puzzle. What surprised me the most was learning the main causes of food waste in African countries, which are mostly related to lack of infrastructure (roads, refrigerators, etc.) rather than mere lifestyle issues derived from wealthy capitalist economies.
What was the most memorable or inspiring moment of your time in Tanzania with GAIA?
Piotr: The most inspiring moment was the site visit to the zero waste model in Bonyokwa, Ilala municipality. It’s a community with about 15,000 inhabitants where a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) has been in use for 4 years, operated by a local waste cooperative. Seeing that zero waste and separate collection are possible in Africa was eye-opening. The success of this facility brings clear pride and happiness to the local community members and wastepickers. Truly, it is a model worth replicating.
Juliette: There were many inspiring moments but, if I had to choose one, I would say the speech of Frankie Orona from the Society of Native Nations, who stood for the people impacted by the pollution of the plastic industry and the fact that they must be heard by decision-makers because they have the knowledge around taking care of the nature and avoiding false solutions.
Photo highlights from the visit to the MRF facility in Bonyokwa (click on the photos to enlarge).
Photo credits: GAIA and Zero Waste Europe.
What was something that really stood out for you or a new perspective you had during your time in Tanzania?
Ismael: I think my “aha!” moment was when I got to know the African realities overall, both from the point of view of problem identification and from the standpoint of solutions and best practices. The case of Nipe Fagio is really interesting for me, since they implement very low-tech and low-budget solutions with outstanding results. We see this is truly a driving force for community-building, developing new social and economic realities, and boosting some environmental policies that central governments cannot provide.
What do you take from the experience that might influence the next steps in your work nationally (and also with ZWE and GAIA)?
Vanja: This experience reinforced the importance of grassroots engagement, tailored solutions, just transition, and environmental justice. Moving forward, I want to focus more on involving local communities and informal wastepickers in our projects. This experience made me realise the importance of addressing social dimensions in waste management, which I would like to incorporate more in our work in Montenegro.
Juliette: Zero Waste France just joined a project to reduce methane emissions. The conference in Tanzania helped me understand the issues and inspired me for the actions we are about to launch in France.
Photo highlights from the visit to the Methane Summit (click on the photos to enlarge).
Photo credits: GAIA.
Missed the conference?
You can catch up on all the major panel discussions via GAIA’s IZWCC YouTube playlist.
