In our rapidly urbanizing world that features mostly unsustainable consumption and production patterns, addressing solid waste management and plastic pollution is becoming more pressing than ever before. However, reliable data and information on municipal solid waste generation and management is lacking globally, especially in cities in low- and middle-income countries. This lack of data hinders the development of sustainable solid waste management strategies and constrains investment in infrastructure and service expansion, leading in many countries to insufficient or absent municipal solid waste management services.
As a reply, UN-Habitat with support from the Urban Pathways project has developed the Waste Wise Cities Tool: Step by Step Guide to Assess City Municipal Solid Waste Management Performance through SDG 11.6.1 Indicator Monitoring. SDG indicator 11.6.1 quantifies parameters that will help cities and countries to better manage resources, mitigate and prevent environmental pollution, create business, employment and livelihood opportunities, and shift towards a circular economy.

At this event UN-Habitat, together with our prominent partners, will launched the Waste Wise Cities Tool and discuss how this tool can help tackle the global crisis of waste management and plastic pollution.