- The International Day of Zero Waste calls for urgent global action to strengthen waste management and promote sustainable consumption to tackle the growing waste crisis.
- The 2026 focus on food waste highlights a major climate threat, with nearly 1 billion tonnes wasted annually
The International Day of Zero Waste is led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). It highlights the need to strengthen global waste management. It also promotes sustainable consumption and production to tackle waste pollution.
Each year, people generate between 2.1 billion and 2.3 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste. Without urgent action, this figure will rise to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050. This trend threatens human health. It also costs the global economy hundreds of billions of dollars every year. In addition, it worsens climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
This year, the campaign focuses on food waste, a critical yet preventable driver of environmental harm. Currently, the world wastes food at an alarming rate, which undermines food security and slows progress toward a circular, zero-waste future. In 2022 alone, people wasted approximately 1 billion tonnes of food, nearly one-fifth of all food available to consumers.
Moreover, food loss and waste drive significant environmental damage. They generate up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, almost five times more than the aviation sector, and contribute up to 14% of global methane emissions. Reducing food waste offers one of the most cost-effective and achievable climate solutions, especially when stakeholders prioritise prevention, resource efficiency, and systemic change.
To address this challenge, governments, businesses, and individuals must adopt zero-waste practices. In response, UNEP and UN-Habitat urge all stakeholders, including governments, civil society, businesses, academia, communities, women, and youth, to actively participate in zero-waste initiatives at national, regional, and local levels.