David Biderman
The International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) held its annual World Congress in Cape Town, South Africa last month. This was a historic conference, as it marked the first time that ISWA has held its venerable World Congress in Africa. The conference took place against the backdrop of Climate Change and the ongoing negotiations over the United Nations鈥� efforts to enact a global plastics treaty. The theme of the World Congress was 鈥�Waste to Wealth: Solutions for a Sustainable Future.鈥� The Institute of Waste Management of South Africa (IWMSA), a South Africa non-profit association, hosted the World Congress.
More than 1,200 individuals participated in the World Congress in Cape Town, including nearly 700 from South Africa. The countries with the largest delegations, after South Africa, were Great Britain, China, the United States, the Netherlands, and Kenya. There were 28 participants from the U.S.
The busy exhibit hall featured nearly 40 exhibitors providing equipment, technologies, and services to the solid waste industry. Frequent events and generous servings of coffee, lunch, and snacks made the exhibit hall a very popular place to network with others. One of the highlights of the World Congress was the festive Gala, which featured dinner, dancing, and ample quantities of South African wine. The more than 600 Gala participants had a great time celebrating the event together, which ended after midnight.
Some of the critical themes discussed at the World Congress included the need to close dumpsites, accelerating the transition to the Circular Economy, and technical innovation. I spoke twice in Cape Town. First, I presented on worker safety issues in developed and developing countries, and urged attendees to devote additional resources to health and safety. Second, I presented on applying innovation used in Europe and the United States in the Global South. During this presentation, I referenced telematics, landfill gas recovery, and UBQ Materials鈥� innovative system that manufactures bioplastic from discarded organics, contaminated paper, and plastics.
James Law from SCS Engineers was elected as ISWA鈥檚 President at ISWA鈥檚 General Assembly, which took place on the weekend before the World Congress. James will be the first U.S.-based leader of ISWA since former SWANA Executive Director John Skinner was President of the association in the early 1990s. James succeeds Carlos Silva from Brazil, who completed a very successful four years as ISWA鈥檚 President. Carlos raised ISWA鈥檚 profile in the international environmental community, including the first ever Waste and Resources Management Pavilion at a COP Climate Change conference (Dubai, 2023), and participating in UN Climate Change events.
ISWA and the World Bank estimate that global waste generation will increase to nearly 4 billion tons of waste per year by 2050, with most of the growth occurring in developing countries in Asia and Africa. Most countries in those regions lack the infrastructure, capacity, or funding to properly manage the current volume of waste being generated, let alone the increased quantities forecast. This is likely to lead to continued environmental degradation and adverse impacts on public health in these countries. The ongoing disposal of waste in dumpsites is one of the largest contributors to Climate Change, as methane spewing from dumpsites is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas in the first 20 years.
American equipment manufacturers, technology providers, and solid waste consultants have a substantial opportunity to assist countries, local governments, and waste management companies in the Global South. Several attendees lamented the lack of greater U.S. participation in the World Congress in Cape Town. There is funding available through the World Bank, International Finance Corporation, and regional banks such as the Inter-American Development Bank for solid waste projects throughout the developing world.
U.S. solid waste company leaders should consider attending international events such as the ISWA World Congress and sharing their experience and expertise. These types of interactions would provide valuable information and capacity-building opportunities that could help government officials and solid waste managers in developing countries improve their solid waste collection, processing, and disposal systems more quickly. With plastic spilling into oceans around the world, dumpsites sliding, fires at recycling facilities, and megacities increasingly overwhelmed by the amount of waste generated by residents, there is a great need for American expertise in addressing these global environmental and public health problems.
The 2025 ISWA World Congress will take place on October 27-29 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. There will likely be a focus on Latin American solid waste management issues at next year鈥檚 event. For more information about ISWA and the World Congress, go to