Inadequate waste management has become a major public health, economic and environmental problem, with 7-10 billion tons of urban waste produced each year and 3 billion people worldwide lacking access to controlled waste disposal facilities reveals this new UNEP report.

Fuelled by population growth, urbanization and rising consumption, the volumes of waste are likely to even double in lower-income African and Asian cities by 2030, warns the Global Waste Management Outlook - launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) today. An urgent response to the world's mounting waste problem is not only a public health and environmental necessity, but also a sound economic investment. Inaction is costing countries 5 10 times more than investments in proper waste management. A greater commitment by nations to systematically apply the 3 R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - can transform the problem of waste into a resource for the economies. The global waste management goals proposed by this report have the potential to result in dramatic reductions in greenhouse gases, the creation of millions of green jobs and economic benefits in the hundreds of billions of dollars. The report offers an integrated global solution to the waste problem, including calling for immediate improvement of waste collection and disposal, preventing waste and maximizing reuse and recycling of resources. It also calls for a major shift away from the linear "take-make-use-waste" economy and towards the circular "reduce-reuse-recycle" approach to the lifecycle of materials.