ISWA World Congress Singapore : The ISWA World Congress started today!
After the pandemic made in-person congresses impossible for the last two years, the ISWA World Congress is back with a bang. Over 1.000 delegates traveled to Singapore to participate in high-level plenaries and a comprehensive scientific programme.
In her opening remarks on September 21 Singapore’s Minister of Sustainability and Environment, Grace Fu, stressed that the waste management sector is key to unlocking solutions to decarbonization. The industry can offer innovative solutions to turn trash into treasure, she said. Governments on the other hand need to provide the necessary policies and also encourage funding. “The future of our planet is in our hands: citizens, businesses and governments need to do their part. We must do whatever it takes to ensure that our planet stays a livable one”, Minister Grace Fu concluded.
Waste management sector plays important role
The newly re-elected ISWA president, Carlos Silva Filho, stressed that the triple planetary crisis affects especially the most vulnerable groups. It is essential to implement actions to make it possible to continue living on this planet. He added that the waste management sector plays a key role. “But there is no silver bullet, not one single action that will save us but a combination of many”, he said. There are five basic measures to begin, five to stay alive, as he put it:
- Get rid of dumpsites and stop open burning
- Improve source separation
- Provide access to feasible and consistent technology to recover most of the waste
- Maximize initiatives to tackle GHG emissions
- Increase adequate financing
“The future lays in our hands, let’s not waste it”, Silva closed his remark.
The ISWA World Congress is held in Singapore until September 23.
