Zero Waste And Economic Recovery – Consumers Association Penang

ZERO WASTE should be a central job-creation strategy in COVID-19 economic recovery plans. Recent data from cities around the world clearly shows that zero waste CREATES OVER 200 TIMES AS MANY JOBS as landfills and incinerators. What’s good for the environment is also good for the economy!

The COVID-19 crisis has laid bare the many other illnesses within our current system. With the connected crisis of climate change, systemic inequality, and environmental degradation growing ever more dire, it is clear that we cannot go “back to normal”. It’s time to go beyond recovery, so that our planet returns to a life sustaining pathway where nothing and no one is wasted.

The above was revealed in a recent worldwide study by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA). GAIA is a worldwide alliance of more than 800 grassroots groups, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in over 90 countries.

Key Findings from the study:

> Cities that invest in Zero Waste programs and policies create good green jobs, reduce pollution, and improve community health.

> What’s good for the environment is also good for the economy. Studies show that zero waste strategies score highest on environmental benefits and create the most jobs of any waste management approach.

> Reuse creates over 200 times as many jobs as landfills and incinerators.

> Recycling creates around 70 times as many jobs as landfills and incinerators.

> Remanufacturing creates almost 30 times as many jobs as landfills and incinerators.

> The report analyzed the job growth potential of cities around the world if they were to divert 80% of recyclable and compostable waste from landfilling and incineration. The numbers were impressive: for example, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam could both create over 18,000 jobs, and São Paulo, Brazil could create an astonishing 36,000 new jobs.

> Zero waste systems not only create more jobs, they create better jobs. Studies show that jobs in zero waste go beyond basic manual labor, provide higher wages, offer more permanent positions and improve quality of life.

> Cities and municipalities all over the world have implemented zero waste solutions with remarkable results, showing that any community anywhere can plan for zero waste as part of their COVID-19 economic recovery strategy.

“Let’s stop throwing away the chance to create thousands of good jobs. It’s time for our leaders to invest in solutions that work for us and our planet.” ~ Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA)