• ‘International Day of Zero Waste is celebrated every year on 30 March. On this occasion, emphasis is laid on increasing awareness and motivating action towards ‘zero-waste’.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

• International Day of Zero Waste, celebrated annually on March 30, has a relatively short but impressive history.
• Driven by growing concern about the global waste crisis in 2017, awareness of waste increased in environmental communities. This led to the concept of a dedicated day to promote zero-waste solutions.
• It was adopted by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) on 2 March 2022.
• Recognizing the urgency and importance of tackling waste, the UNEA adopted a resolution on 14 December 2022. In this, March 30 was declared as the International Day of Zero Waste.
• This proposal was brought by Turkey and 105 other countries joined in sponsoring it.
• The UNEP and the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) jointly facilitate the celebration. This day is organized by UNEP and UN-Habitat.