Nairobi, 29 January 2021 – UN-Habitat is launching  the Waste Wise Cities Tool (WaCT), a new tool that cities can use to evaluate and improve their municipal solid waste management performance online.

The amount of solid waste generated worldwide is rapidly increasing but lack of reliable data prevents cities from developing effective and sustainable waste management systems, leading to overflowing dumpsites and leakage of waste into the environment. Through a collaboration with Wasteaware, Eawag, and the University of Leeds, UN-Habitat has developed the Waste Wise Cities Tool to simplify the process of collecting standardized data on solid waste management.

The Waste Wise Cities Tool is an assessment and planning tool that cities can apply to evaluate their municipal solid waste management performance. The results can then be used as a basis for sustainable solid waste management strategy and policy planning. The WaCT can be used by city planners and decision makers, or other stakeholders involved in planning the waste management systems in an area. Through using the WaCT, context specific data can be collected as basis for developing new and better waste management systems.

In trials carried out in some cities such as Mombasa, Kenya, an assessment through this tool showed that as much as 3.7 kg plastic per capita enters the waterways each year of the total waste generated. Identifying and measuring such problems is key to managing them. Based on this assessment the city authorities are planning new measures to improve collection, transportation, and disposal of waste.  

“In our rapidly urbanizing world, the crisis in waste management and plastic pollution is a reflection of our unsustainable lifestyles. We are consuming and producing at a rate that boggles the mind. It is my hope that fact-based data on municipal solid waste assessed with this tool will guide evidence-based planning and lead to effective and efficient solid waste collection systems,” said the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif.

To register for the virtual launch of the Waste Wise Cities Tool on Tuesday  2 February 2021, at 14:00-15:30 East African Time (GMT+3) go to https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1465928687764984591