Charity’s plea to solve waste management crisis
Summary
Figures from the Engineering X report, written by Professor Desta Mebratu and Dr Andriannah Mbandi in partnership with the United Nations High Level Climate Champions (UNHLC), highlighted that approximately 9% of all global waste is generated by countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Of this percentage, only 11% is disposed of in properly designed and managed sanitary landfills, while most of the remaining goes to dump sites, leaving local residents with no choice but to burn the waste due to the lack of infrastructure. At COP27, Dr Boumphrey is hoping to help the programme take its next steps after years of evidence gathering as well as two multidisciplinary, cross-sector global workshops, all building up to the implementation and action phase. She will be a key speaker at the launch of the multi-stakeholder partnership for the elimination of open waste burning from Africa, which is set to involve policymakers across the world, leading practitioners, NGOs, and industry partners working together to find long-term solutions. The report created by Engineering X in partnership with UNHLC highlights the dramatic human and environmental consequences of a lack of waste management system that not only affect African countries, but the rest of the world.