NEW STUDY: ZERO WASTE SYSTEMS COULD CREATE OVER 18,000 JOBS FOR DAR ES SALAAM RESIDENTS

• Zero Waste Found to Be a Key Strategy to Build Strong, Sustainable Economies Post-COVID-19

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania – A new study from GAIA finds that cities that invest in zero waste programs and policies create good green jobs, in addition to known benefits of reducing pollution and improving community health. This report comes as municipal governments worldwide are making critical decisions about which programs to invest in to increase climate resilience and rebuild local economies that have been damaged by the COVID-19 crisis. The study projects that if Dar Es Salaam were to recover 80% of recyclable and organic material in its waste stream, the city could create over 18,000 new jobs.

In a global meta-analysis of job creation potential of different waste management sectors, the research makes clear that what’s good for the environment is also good for the economy. Zero waste strategies score highest on environmental benefits and create the most jobs of any waste management approach:

• Reuse creates over 200 times as many jobs as landfills and incinerators.
• Recycling creates around 70 times as many jobs as landfills and incinerators.
• Remanufacturing creates almost 30 times as many jobs as landfills and incinerators.

Zero waste is a comprehensive waste management approach that prioritizes waste reduction and material recovery, with the ultimate aim of creating a circular economy, shrinking waste disposal to zero. In contrast, disposal-based systems rely on incineration (“waste to energy”) and landfills to handle most of the waste stream, resulting in higher economic costs and environmental consequences.

Zero waste systems not only create more jobs, they create better jobs. Studies show that jobs in zero waste go beyond basic manual labor, provide higher wages, offer more permanent positions, and improve quality of life.

For example, the innovative and decentralized zero waste model that is being implemented by local non profit, Nipe Fagio in low-income communities of Dar es Salaam align environmental stewardship and social inclusion by working with vulnerable populations and engaging the community in effective and cost-effective solutions. It reduces the burden of waste management by tailoring it to the local reality.

Ana Lê Rocha, Executive Director of Nipe Fagio, states, “The zero waste model in Dar es Salaam has the potential to create 40 jobs in each community of 5,000 households on average, generating income inside the community and multiplying its impact through capacity building and education.”

Report author Dr. Neil Tangri, Science and Policy Director at GAIA, states, “With the world still reeling from the pandemic, job creation is a top priority. Zero Waste offers a strategy to create good jobs and reduce pollution without breaking the bank. It’s a triple win for the economy, the environment, and the city.”

GAIA is a worldwide alliance of more than 800 grassroots groups, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in over 90 countries. With our work we aim to catalyze a global shift towards environmental justice by strengthening grassroots social movements that advance solutions to waste and pollution. We envision a just, zero waste world built on respect for ecological limits and community rights, where people are free from the burden of toxic pollution, and resources are sustainably conserved, not burned or dumped.

As the pioneering organisation in Tanzania working a cross-sector approach to sustainable development in the sector of waste management and pollution education, Nipe Fagio integrates communities, private sector and government by identifying needs and opportunities related to sustainable development and building the capacity of each social sector to add value and engage in a win-win integrated solution. As government partners, private sector contributors and educators of individual citizens, we encourage people to see themselves as the solution to the common waste problem.