Circular waste management is a priority for West Asia

Manama, 17 September 2024 - A two-day technical meeting focused on extended producer responsibility (EPR) kicked off in Manama today, bringing together participants from government authorities responsible for waste management across the West Asia region.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – Regional Office for West Asia and the Supreme Council for Environment in Bahrain are organizing the meeting, in collaboration with UNEP International Environmental Technology Centre. The aim of the meeting is to empower participants with the knowledge and tools to develop and implement EPR systems, fostering sustainable waste management and advancing circular economy in the region.

Traditionally, countries in West Asia have relied on linear approaches to waste management, focusing on collection and disposal. However, countries in the region are now increasingly striving towards a life-cycle approach to waste management, aligned with the principles of circular economy The life-cycle approach aims to go beyond recycling and reduce the environmental toll of products at every stage of their life cycle, from extraction of raw materials, the conversion into products, to their use and disposal, ensure that products, are redesigned to be reused, recycled and effectively reintegrated into the resource and product supply chains.

“EPR is crucial to advance a circular economy by addressing waste management at the end-of-life stage and encouraging producers to redesign products and packaging at an early stage”, said Sami Dimassi, UNEP Representative and Regional Director for West Asia.

“The principle of EPR is among the methodologies included in the National Waste Strategy in Bahrain, in accordance with the best internationally approved health, environmental and technical standard practices, to reduce waste and enhance recycling operations,” said Mohamed bin Mubarak Bin Daina, Minister of Oil and Environment, and Special Envoy for Climate Action of Bahrain.

Recognizing the pivotal role of EPR in promoting circular economy, countries in West Asia are increasingly committed to developing and implementing EPR systems at the national level. As a result, there is a growing interest to understand and integrate EPR principles into national frameworks.

For more information please contact Hoda El Turk, UNEP Regional Information Officer for West Asia at elturk@un.org