On Earth Day 2017, The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) in partnership with the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), urges supporters to sign the declaration to close the world鈥檚 50 largest dumpsites. 聽聽Created by ISWA, the 鈥淐lose the Dumpsites鈥� campaign seeks to drive the closure of the world鈥檚 50 largest dumpsites by 2030, in order to halt this growing environmental and global health emergency. Two million people worldwide live on these dumpsites in dangerous conditions, scavenging food, metal, textiles, and other materials from trash; there are thousands of deaths every year.These dumpsites generate four billion tons of municipal waste annually, and this unmanaged waste is spread into rivers and oceans, openly burned, and littered throughout cities. Earth Day 2017 initiates a renewed, global focus on climate change and its threat to our planet鈥檚 overall well-being. 聽Many of the world鈥檚 largest dumpsites lack emission controls like landfills in the United States. Collectively, these sites could account for up to 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, making this a cause with real climate influence. 鈥淓arth Day, established nearly 50 years ago, provides a forum for highlighting environmental concerns that affect us all here on earth,鈥� says Rich Allen, President of SWANA. 鈥淭he uncontained greenhouse gas emissions from these 50 landfills has a tremendous impact on our climate and finding more environmentally sound practices for waste disposal and/or finding uses for waste as a resource in these areas could alleviate those concerns.鈥�
This campaign has successfully inspired the closure of the Estrutural dumpsite in Brasilia, Brazil, one of the largest dumpsites in Latin America. As of February 2017, the regional government inaugurated an engineered sanitary landfill to replace the old dumpsite, which will close completely in 18 months. 鈥淭he response from many is encouraging, but we are still at the beginning of the journey,鈥� said Antonis Mavropoulos, President of ISWA. 鈥淗elp ISWA drive the 鈥淐lose the Dumpsites鈥� initiative and stimulate a global movement for closing down the world鈥檚 biggest dumpsites.鈥�
To learn more about the 鈥淐lose the Dumpsites鈥� campaign, visit .
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