Global Recycling Day is annually observed across the globe on March 18 to raise awareness of the importance of recycling and encourage people to take action to reduce waste and protect the environment.
- It is a day of action to promote recycling on a global scale and to encourage governments, corporations, communities, and individuals to agree to seven unambiguous principles.
The theme of Global Recycling Day 2023 is “Creative Innovation”.
- 18th March 2023 marks the observance of the 6th Global Recycling Day
Background:
i. The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), the international trade association for the recycling sector, established Global Recycling Day to promote the sustainable growth of recycling.
ii. The day is promoted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Global Recycling Foundation, established by the BIR in 2018.
iii. The 1st ever Global Recycling Day was observed on 18th March 2018, which also marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of BIR.
Recycling:
i. Recycling is the process of gathering waste and turning it into new and useful products.
ii. Refuse or reduce, reuse, and recycle are the three R’s of recycling. It is the key to countering the devastation wreaked by climate change.
iii. Iron and steel waste, aluminium cans, glass bottles, paper, wood, and plastics are examples of materials that are commonly recycled.
iv. The recycled materials served as replacements for raw materials derived from increasingly scarce natural resources like oil, gas, coal, mineral ores, and forests.
Recycling is a Global Issue:
i. The Global Recycling Foundation supports the recycling promotion globally to highlight how important recycling is to protecting the future of the planet.
ii. The Global Recycling Foundation’s goal is to fund educational and awareness programmes that emphasise the sustainable and inclusive growth of recycling, across the world.
India Scenario:
i. By 2027, India is expected to overtake China as the world’s most populated nation, and by 2050, India’s urban population is expected to nearly double to 814 million people.
- In 2025, India’s metropolitan areas would produce 0.7 kilogrammes of waste per person each day, which is 4 to 6 times more waste than they did in 1999.
ii. According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, India presently produces 62 million tonnes of garbage (including recyclable and non-recyclable) annually, with an average yearly growth rate of 4%.
- The three main types of waste are solid waste, plastic waste, and electronic waste.
iii. Waste Management Schemes in India:
- The Government of India has undertaken multiple large-scale national initiatives such as the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ (SBM), ‘National Water Mission’ (NWM) and ‘Waste to Wealth Mission’ as a part of its commitment to effective waste & pollution management in India.
Note: India is one of the largest e-waste manufacturers in the world, producing about 2 million tonnes of e-waste annually.
About the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR):
President- Tom Bird
Headquarters- Brussels, Belgium
Establishment- 1948
