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While most of the content on this website is professionally translated some items may be automatically translated by translation software.
According to the World Bank Urban Development Series report, urban areas currently generate 2.01 billion tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) annually, with at least 33 per cent not managed in an environmentally safe manner. Worldwide, the waste generated per person per day averages 0.74 kilograms, and overall MSW volumes are projected to grow to 3.40 billion tons by 2050, with more than double population growth over the same period1 . The same report puts Sub-Saharan Africa as one of the fastest-growing regions where by 2050, total waste generation is expected to more than triple at about 516 million tons. Another study also estimated that 8m tons of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans annually, and that by 2050 there would be more plastics in the oceans than fish if the trend is not reversed2. This creates an urgent need for global action to minimize waste generation and manage it well.