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• Urges urgent action to tackle multi-faceted challenges posed by solid waste
• Says situation serious for cities in low- and middle-income countries
ISLAMABAD: Cautioning that there is a growing waste crisis, the World Bank said globally, waste generation is expected to rise by a whopping 73 per cent to 3.88 billion tonnes by 2050, posing serious challenges for cities in low- and middle-income countries.
Globally, 23pc of waste goes uncollected, and 33pc is openly dumped. In low-income countries the issue is even more acute as 60pc of solid waste remains uncollected, and 93pc is improperly managed - either dumped, buried, or thrown into waterways, says a new World Bank report.
On a per capita basis, however, projected waste generation in low-income countries would be a third of that in high-income countries as it is projected at only 0.62 kilograms per person per day as compared to 1.81 kilograms per person per day in high-income countries by 2050.
Moving forward, the World Bank will continue assisting low- and middle-income countries to create and adopt integrated, locally tailored solid waste management strategies, policy reform and investment. This includes prioritising waste reduction, recycling, resource recovery, and sanitary disposal while strengthening policies, institutions, infrastructure, financial sustainability, community engagement, and social inclusion of informal waste pickers and women.
Expanding international cooperation and financing for solid waste management will be crucial. Global initiatives like the Global Plastics Treaty, Methane Abatement Pledge, and Paris Agreement offer opportunities to advance sustainable waste management, improving health, economic development, environmental resilience, and livable cities, the report says.
Without action, the volume of improperly managed waste will continue to increase, harming human health, the environment, and economies in a multitude of ways. Uncollected waste, open dumping and burning, and unsanitary landfills contaminate drinking water, pollute air and spread diseases. Solid waste and plastics can clog street drains and storm water evacuation infrastructure, further exacerbating the risk of urban flooding.
Moreover, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from waste are large and growing quickly. Municipal solid waste is responsible for up to 20pc of global human-related methane emissions and 5pc of GHG emissions.
The effect of land-based solid waste extends to the ocean: 80pc of plastic in oceans comes from poorly managed municipal solid waste on land, with devastating effects on marine environments and ecosystems.
As the largest financer of municipal solid waste management, the World Bank Group provided $5.13bn — equivalent to about 35pc of global official development financing for solid waste management from 2003 to 2021. By combining infrastructure financing with policy loans and results-based payments, this support helps in enhancing local health, economic growth, and resilience while cutting GHG emissions and plastic pollution.
To tackle the multi-faceted challenges posed by solid waste, investment and policy reforms are crucial. Extensive knowledge and experience on proper waste management - spanning minimisation to post-consumer use—can be adapted to local and regional contexts.
Effective approaches for waste collection, processing, and treatment include recycling, composting, landfill gas management, energy recovery, and environmentally sound disposal. To be most effective, these approaches also require stronger governance with reliable systems for managing solid waste. To tackle growing waste generation, improve collection rates, and reduce mismanagement, the World Bank supports low- and middle-income countries through approaches that bring together financing, knowledge, and capacity-building.
Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2025
