Open Waste Burning features at ISWA Congress

Practical Action is facilitating the session as part of a global initiative supported by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), and in partnership with Engineering X (Royal Academy of Engineering), the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), the Institute for Global Environmental Studies (IGES), Practical Action and UN-Habitat.

Our two-year project aims to prepare roadmaps on eliminating open waste burning tailored to the regional contexts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. These will be informed by city action plans, and pilot implementation and behaviour change campaigns being developed at the same time.

During the session we will share new information on the contribution of open burning to greenhouse gas emissions at regional levels, and on a analysis of the extent of open burning and the driving factors behind it at city level. We will discuss strategies for action as part of building a multi-stakeholder movement for change.

Session title: Eliminating Open Burning of Waste – Intra-regional exchange for guiding city level action in Africa.

Date: Wednesday 18^th September: 11:50-12:50

Speakers: 

• Moderator:
  • Shyvonne Henry, Africa Partnerships and Special Initiatives Lead, Practical Action

• Opening Statements:
  • Aditi Ramola, Technical Director, ISWA

• Regional Roadmap and City Level Action Plans
  • Desta Mebratu, Professor. Engineering X Lead, Africa Roadmap. Centre for Sustainability Transition, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
  • Francesca Calisesi, Associate Human Settlements Officer Solid Waste, UN-Habitat. Update on regional greenhouse gas emissions estimates resulting from open waste burning.
  • Lucy Stevens, Head of Cities Programme, Practical Action. City level situation on open waste burning and developing a city wide action plan, Kisumu, Kenya.

• Panel discussion: learnings from Asia
  • Miho Hayashi, Senior Programme Manager, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Japan
  • V. Srinivas Chary, Professor, Administrative Staff College of India and CEO, Wash Innovation Hub (WIH)
  • City of Cape Town (tbc)

• Closing remarks
  • Donovan Storey, Waste & Climate Expert, Climate and Clean Air Coalition, UNEP