Blog

London | 9–11 November 2026 What does it take to build waste systems that work and keep working over time? Global Waste Lab founder Zoë Lenkiewicz will explore this question across four sessions at the ISWA World Congress in London, drawing on practical experience...

Waste and resource management will feature prominently at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, this November, with proposals covering waste prevention, methane reduction and greater use of recovered materials. For professionals navigating domestic policy, contracts and...

Plastic recovery does not succeed through collection alone. Systems also need viable markets, reliable data, credible standards, effective regulation, infrastructure and clarity over who pays for the costs that material revenues do not cover. In 2026, Global Waste...

Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR, is based on a simple idea: companies that put products on the market should contribute to the cost of managing them when they become waste. But when used products are exported for reuse, the products move while the funding...

A seven-part webinar series from Global Waste Lab, in partnership with be Waste Wise.Why do promising waste projects lose momentum once the funding ends – and what helps them become lasting local systems? Built to Last explores the seven foundations that help waste...

Global Waste Lab is joining ISWA World Congress 2026 as a Knowledge Partner.The Congress will take place in London from 9–11 November 2026, hosted by CIWM in partnership with ISWA. For Global Waste Lab, this is a chance to support one of the most important global...

When YouTube stars Corridor Crew contacted me about a video on the true scale of garbage, I had no idea it would end up reaching more than 900,000 people. Their video, VFX Artist Reveals the TRUE Scale of GARBAGE, does something rare and important. It makes the...

Plastic waste is a growing problem, and the need for viable, scalable recovery models is more urgent than ever. Yet the gap between ambition and implementation remains significant. With the global plastics treaty process advancing slowly, regional frameworks,...

When I got my first job in waste management, I knew very little about the realities of the business. I had completed self-study on municipal waste strategies at university, but I hadn’t had classes, structured learning opportunities, or an internship. Over the...

I remember the first time Mariam messaged me. Her words weren’t unique, but her pain was real. Ma’am, can you help? We collected the plastic but transporting it to market will cost us more than it will ever be worth. Will this ever work?   Ma’am, can you help?...

Recycling plastic is not easy. 🫣 Spoiler alert: The value of recycled plastic rarely covers the cost of collecting and processing it. This means plastic waste represents an endless financial burden for communities and countries. 🚚 In more remote areas, transport...

In our recent be Waste Wise webinar on rural waste management we learned about two very effective models: 🏝️ Yayasan Rijig Pradana Wetan in Indonesia, with Diana Luckyta Sari 🏜️ The Barefoot College (Social Work and Research Centre) in India, with Gurpreet...

🌞 Bright and early this morning I joined the UNEP Global Dialogue and Youth Day to talk about how collaborative policymaking can unlock the hidden benefits of a circular economy. Hidden benefits? 🕵‍♀️ 🔎 The hidden costs of waste and poor waste management are huge,...

👉 Whenever I work with waste management practitioners I always highlight the necessity to collect food waste separately from other wastes. Why? 🥑🧴🥔🍾🥖🍶👕👞 🤢 Once food waste is mixed with other materials, it is unsuitable for agricultural purposes 🌱 📉 Soils around the...

There are two schools of thought in waste management. 1. Arrive at a community and tell them how to manage their waste. Procure infrastructure and train people to run machinery. Follow a blueprint or a checklist. When it's completed, hand everything over (great...

The concept of Extended Producer Responsibility appears to be one of the better tools we have to drive waste prevention and investment in waste management... but is it working as it's meant to? On 26 November 2024 I hosted a webinar to explore the effectiveness of...

The International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) congress for me was a celebration of the expansiveness of our sector. Anyone who thinks the "waste industry" is one homogenous blob simply doesn't know it. There are few "easy answers" in waste management, no...

If anyone is giving advice on waste management (or circular economy initiatives at the recycling end of the scale, previously known as "waste management"), it is important they have a grasp of both the science and the social aspects. Both are important. If your...

📱 Waste apps - are they worth it? We just held a really lively discussion via be Waste Wise on the huge value of waste apps, featuring frontrunners in the field:Lorena Gallardo of ReciVeci in EcuadorEng. Allen M Kimambo of #ZaidiApp TakaNiAjira Foundation in...