Collaborative Efforts Ignite Zero Waste Movement Amid Himalayan Waste Crisis

KalimNews, Kalimpong, October 9, 2024 : Eighteen organizations deeply concerned about the Himalayan waste crisis met in Buddha Pada, Kalimpong, as part of the Zero Waste Himalaya platform, with the objective of strengthening and building the zero waste movement in the Himalaya.

The workshop was supported by GAIA Asia Pacific, an organization working to move away from the current linear and extractive economy and toward a circular system that supports people's right to a safe and healthy environment, according to a press release.

During the two-day discussion, participants addressed the challenges of managing waste in the mountain state. The findings of The Himalayan Cleanup campaign were also shared, revealing that 70% of the plastic cleaned up is non-recyclable, with no solutions and no market value, thus seen all across the Himalaya.

"The intersection of food and waste is stark and frightening, as more than 80% of the plastic comes from single-use food and beverage packaging, of which over 80% is non-recyclable. The Himalayan waste crisis was understood to be a production issue, and the need for systemic changes, as well as individual lifestyle changes, was highlighted," the release states.

The organizations participating in the workshop included Waste Warriors (UK/HP), Little Green World (Ladakh), AMYAA (Arunachal Pradesh), Youth NET (Nagaland), Sambhavna, Deer Park Institute (Himachal Pradesh), Green Circle, WWF India, ECOSS, KCC (Sikkim), TIEEDI, Anugyalaya, DLR Prerna (Darjeeling), SaveTheHills (Kalimpong), the Rural Development Department (Sikkim), the Integrated Mountain Initiative, the Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative (Bhutan), and Darjeeling Youth Magazine.

The workshop featured the regional coordinator of GAIA Asia Pacific, Froilan Grate, who provided deep insights into the global waste crisis and GAIA's efforts to address the issue. He shed light on the narrative that blames Asian countries for the plastic problem, emphasizing that the sources of the plastics lie in developed nations. He also highlighted the link between the waste crisis and the climate crisis, mentioning that 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions are embedded in the life cycles of all products.

Aswathy Senan presented on Break Free From Plastic's structure and activities to provide insights to the Zero Waste Himalaya platform. Shibu K. Nair, GAIA's regional coordinator on organics, discussed the concept of zero waste and zero waste cities, sharing some groundbreaking initiatives from other countries and states like Kerala and Maharashtra that focused on decentralized solutions, policy interventions, and the integration of waste workers and waste pickers.

Waste Warriors presented their experiences working in Dharamshala and Corbett Tiger Reserve in coordination with the government and local elected bodies. A short presentation was also made by the North East Waste Collective from Arunachal Pradesh, both highlighting the challenges of covering operational costs in the Himalayan geography.

All organizations emphasized the need to center policies, practices, and resource allocation around the mountains, acknowledging the sacredness, fragility, and socio-ecological importance of the Himalaya. The focus on real solutions to the waste crisis highlighted false solutions, such as waste-to-energy, burning waste, plastic roads, and bottle bricks, which merely shift the problem rather than solve it.

Zero waste principles and practices were discussed as viable solutions that systematically address the problem while providing livelihoods. Ensuring that no biodegradable materials reach landfills through composting, biomethanation, and animal feed is also crucial for climate change mitigation. The participants unanimously called for producer responsibility for the plastic waste strewn across the Himalaya, particularly given the insights from six years of Himalayan Cleanup waste and brand audit data, which consistently show that more than 90% of the waste cleaned is plastic waste.

The workshop concluded with a vision and strategy for the Zero Waste Himalaya platform for the next five years, aiming to foreground the issue of waste in the Himalaya as a crisis requiring special measures for redress, the release adds.