Mountains of discarded plastics, textiles, and electronics arrive in developing nations under the guise of "recycling" or "donations," but much of it is unusable and ends up polluting land, rivers, and air.
This waste poisons ecosystems, endangers public health, and forces local communities—often already struggling with limited resources—to bear the environmental and economic costs of a problem they did not create. It is a moral failure to shift responsibility for waste management to those least equipped to handle it, perpetuating cycles of inequality and exploitation.
To: the United Nations Assembly
Urgently stop the export of waste to other countries. Every shipment of waste represents a failure to address the root causes of overproduction and overconsumption in wealthier nations. We must invest in sustainable solutions at home, such as reducing waste at its source, improving recycling systems, and fostering a culture of repair and reuse. True progress means taking ownership of the waste we create, rather than offloading it onto the most vulnerable. By ending this practice, we affirm the dignity of all communities and take a decisive step toward global environmental justice.
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Sir Max Simpson
CEO of Stop Waste!
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Julia Summer
Representative of Global Waste Union
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