Cities produce just over 2 billion tons of solid waste each year and by 2050, this figure is expected to rise to close to 4 billion tons. While cities are a strong driver for waste generation, they also offer opportunities to implement zero-waste and circular economy strategies and practices where they can matter most.
This session introduces the concept of zero-waste and explores how cities can achieve this outcome by utilizing a circular economy approach. With global attention increasingly focused on waste issues, how can local and regional governments benefit from international processes such as the UN’s International Zero-Waste Day and the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board, both of which ICLEI is a part of. Attendees will also get an inside look at the GIZ project Circular City Labs, which promotes reusable packaging solutions in cities.
Speakers:
- Aaron Brockett, Mayor, City of Boulder, United States
- Ana Ligia Mora, Environment Secretary, City of Medellín, Colombia
- Dong Hwan Lee, Mayor, City of Goyang, South Korea
- Evaldo Azevedo, Solid Waste Coordinator, Undersecretariat of Water Resources and Basic Sanitation, State of São Paulo, Brazil
- Iris Kriikkula, Circular Economy Project Manager, City of Turku, Finland
- Jason Naud, Director of the Québec Government Office in São Paulo, Government of Québec, Canada
- Mariana Maia, Solid Waste Superintendent, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Mauro Haddad, Director, SP REGULA, City of São Paulo, Brazil
- Shannon Bouton, CEO, Delterra
- Gino van Begin, Secretary General, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
- Olga Horn, Senior Officer, Circular Development Team, ICLEI World Secretariat
Moderators:
Magash Naidoo, Head Circular Development, ICLEI World Secretariat
Paul Currie, Director of Urban Systems, ICLEI Africa Secretariat
