The open burning of waste takes place worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where there is a lack of waste management infrastructure. This was a key finding of the Engineering X Global Review on Safer End of Engineered Life which warned that open burning of solid waste is damaging the health of “tens of millions” of people worldwide but a lack of data means that the true scale of the problem is unknown and more research is urgently needed.
Our programme
To inform the direction of our programme, Engineering X commissioned the Global Review on Safer End of Engineered Life led by the University of Leeds. This looked at what happens to consumer goods and other engineered products at the end of their useful life. This research identified the harm caused by open burning and called for urgent action to tackle this neglected issue.
Risks and benefits
The review identified the multiple and multidisciplinary nature of the risks posed to human health and the environment from the uncontrolled burning of waste such as the negative impact on:
- informal waste workers and vulnerable populations (for example, children, older people, pregnant women),
- the pollution of land, air and water
It also concluded that there are several (perceived) benefits of burning waste. For example, burning occurs to ‘get rid’ of accumulated waste or in the form of regular burning as an accepted practice.
Following this evidence gathering, we sought to raise the issue of open burning on the global agenda and catalyse action around this long-neglected issue.
Children carry water next to smouldering waste in Douala, Cameroon; ©WasteAid
Upcoming activities
Our advocacy work in partnership with others, saw the open burning of waste raised on the global agenda for the first time in a side event at COP26 in Glasgow. Since then the visibility and tackling of the challenge has increased rapidly. It was included in the UNEP Medium Term strategy and a resolution was signed by 54 African Environment Ministers to eliminate the open burning of waste in Africa by 2040.
How to get involved:
- Attend the session at COP29 and connect with our Partners, International Solid Waste Association at the Waste and Resources Pavilion
- Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming webinars through the community of practice
COP29
Date: 20 November
Time: 10.30am – 12.00pm
Location: Waste and Resources Pavilion, Green Zone
This session will present a Climate and Clean Air Coalition funded 2-year project consisting of partners Engineering X, ISWA, IGES, Practical Action, and UN-Habitat who are working to develop regional roadmaps for Latin America, Africa and Asia, contextualised in city pilots, to pave the way for action and end open burning of waste. It will focus on the critical challenge of financing the waste sector, including insights from a recent funder scoping report completed by Ecopsis and Practical Action.
African perspectives on the INC 5 on the Plastics Treaty webinar
Date: 16 January 2025
Time: 12.00pm – 1.00pm GMT
Location: online
This webinar aims to bring together African perspectives at national and local government level to support intra-national dialogue to reflect from the key messages of the INC-5 on the Global Plastics Treaty. It will also raise awareness of the existing issues in the development of the treaty and explore solutions to implementation
- Reflect on the INC-5 to gather perspectives on what the outcome means for Africa
- Platform the African voice in the Global Plastics Treat
- Explore plastic mitigation solutions based on plastics treaty outcomes to share learnings and knowledge.
More information to follow on how to register. You can stay updated through the community of practice here.
Africa regional roadmap stakeholder update webinar
Date: TBC
Location: Online
This webinar will provide an update to relevant stakeholders on the development of the Africa regional roadmap to end open burning waste.
More information to follow.
Current projects
Find out more about our collaboration with the Climate and Clean Air Fund on developing regional roadmaps to increase action and awareness to end open burning in Africa, Asia and Latin America & the Caribbean.
Our work
Join our community
Building on the two global workshops we held in 2021, our community continues to build and share knowledge through an online Community of Practice, For information about the workshops read on or to contribute to the conversation around Open burning waste join our linkedin group.