Zero Waste Academy: Stories of Impact

GAIA Asia Pacific, in partnership with Mother Earth Foundation (MEF) Philippines, has been conducting a capacity-building workshop to capacitate members of the network and government officials to implement a community Zero Waste program since 2017.

Called Zero Waste Academy (ZWA), the workshop is an immersive 10-day course aimed at capacitating members and other stakeholders on how to implement a Zero Waste program in their respective cities and communities. Putting emphasis on experiential learning, the course provides a well-thought out mix of lectures, hands-on exercises, site visits and community engagements, demo-sessions, and networking opportunities.

Thus far, five in-person ZWAs have been conducted from 2017 to 2019.

In 2020-2022, GAIA Asia Pacific and MEF conducted other iterations of the academy, albeit virtually because of the lockdowns imposed by governments. Yaksa Pelestari Bumi Berkelanjutan (YPBB) Bandung likewise held other Zero Waste Academies on their own to support AZWI members in implementing Zero Waste in their communities.

As in any workshop, an essential measure of success of the workshop is how the graduates apply in their own contexts the lessons and skills they gained from their participation. GAIA Asia Pacific is immensely proud that five years since the first in-person ZWA, and three years since the last one, many of our graduates continued to champion Zero Waste in their own communities and countries, and many of them even spearheaded innovative and impactful Zero Waste initiatives and/or led campaigns such as plastic-free and anti-waste-to-energy (WtE) campaigns.

This publication is an initial attempt to document our graduates’ work to understand the academy’s impact on their work and their communities. This volume is not exhaustive — our intention is to periodically check on our graduates to celebrate their success in their own communities.

May you be inspired by our initial offering. Our graduates, without a doubt, are making the world a better
place. But do not take our word for it; read the pages of our publication and see for yourself!

There is no dearth of women environmental leaders in Asia Pacific. In the past decades, the region has become host to many impactful environmental initiatives and campaigns spearheaded by women leaders who not only dared to dream of a better future, but also rolled their sleeves up to ensure that the better future they dreamed of would become a reality.

But while there is general awareness that women play crucial roles in driving societal changes, exactly what they have done, and how massive their impact has been are often told sparingly, if at all. The spotlight is seldom shone on women leaders. And when it is, they are either made to share it with their male counterparts, or the spotlight shone upon them does not shine bright enough to adequately highlight their impact. 

Hence, this publication.

Vision and Grit: Exceptional Zero Waste Women in the Asia Pacific Region was conceived out of the realization that we have yet to truly take stock of the invaluable contributions of women leaders in Asia Pacific, particularly in the Zero Waste movement. It features 14 women leaders across the region whose initiatives have made a huge impact in their communities and have served as an inspiration for others to do the same. Because of their work, thousands of lives have been changed for the better, progressive policies and regulations have been instituted at various levels, enabling conditions for more sustainable options have been jump started, and Zero Waste models have been developed. Admittedly, so much still needs to be done at various fronts, but so much has also been achieved. Change is actually happening, and it is hugely thanks to our women leaders. 

Pore over the pages of this book and learn about some of the women who have helped make the world we live in a better place, and be inspired by their compassion, determination, and grit. Read their stories and understand their motivations, and be amazed and grateful that they stood up for what they believed in when they did, and continued the fight even when things were difficult. Our current realities may still be filled with challenges, but it is less so because women of character and strength live among us.

El presente informe se organiza en torno a tres beneficios generales que conlleva incorpora la estrategia basura cero a los sistemas actuales de gestión de residuos. Estos son: mitigación del cambio climático, adaptación, y beneficios sociales adicionales (también llamados cobeneficios). En el úlitmo capítulo, se presentan estudios de casos que exponen los beneficios de las estrategias de basura cero en ocho ciudades diferentes, demostrando que este sistema no solo es muy eficiente, sino también fácilmente adaptable a diferentes necesidades y circunstancias.

We are excited to share with you GAIA’s Shared-Tools Program!

WHAT IS THE SHARED-TOOLS PROGRAM?
As GAIA members, you have the opportunity to access several paid accounts of online tools that you can utilize for your campaigns. These online tools include Zoom accounts (both for meetings and webinars), Canva, Mentimeter, and Streamyard.

HOW TO AVAIL:

  • Zoom (in the meantime, reach out to Trish)
  • Registration link to access Canva, Streamyard, Mentimeter (please reach out to Trish)
  • Please wait for the confirmation email that includes the login details.

Thank you for your cooperation!

If you need training on any of these tools, please reach out to Trish Parras [patricia@no-burn.org]

Once faced with waste management challenges exacerbated by tourism, two communes in Hoi An, Vietnam — Cam Thanh and Cham Islands (Tan Hiep Commune) — have become the faces of Zero Waste through the collaboration of stakeholders from the government, community organizations, farmers’ associations, businesses, and tourism associations.

Waste pickers from South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, Morocco and Zambia have demonstrated the common need for official recognition from national and municipal governments, better working conditions, PPE, improved payment for their recovered materials and collection and processing service, and an end to social stigmatisation.

The experience of organising shows that these needs are achievable through building representative organisations that will ensure that their voices are heard in negotiations with governments and demonstrate their value to society.

This requires waste pickers to work collaboratively and embed the principles of democracy, equality and environmental justice in their organised structures. Furthermore, municipalities and national governments need to recognise the value that waste pickers play in diverting waste from the landfills, encouraging recycling where materials re-enter the economy and addressing poverty by providing an income for individuals that have been excluded from the formal economy.

Fuelling Failure is the first report to highlight the dangers fossil fuels and plastic production pose to every single UN Sustainable Development Goal. The 17 SDGs, whose 169 targets aim to “end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all by 2030,” touch on a diverse range of issues and challenges such as biodiversity, work, health, inequality and food. The goals apply to all countries, rich and poor, with the aim of ensuring that “no one will be left behind.” In contrast, plastic reduction and zero waste strategies would help us meet the world’s SDG’s, fast.

The paper was produced by researchers at the University of Sussex on behalf of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative and key civil society partners with expertise across the SDGs: 350.org, ActionAid, REN21, Stand.earth, CAN South Asia, UNRISD, Food and Water, Rapid Transition Alliance, Leave It In the Ground Initiative, GAIA, CAN International, Center for Biological Diversity, Stamp Out Poverty, MOCICC, Power Shift Africa, WECAN and Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development.

With organics making up more than 50% of solid waste in Asia, managing this waste stream will have a huge impact on waste management and the reduction of methane emissions. 

With superb illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions, “Back to Earth” encourages people to explore every facet of composting: whether in a sprawling backyard or in a limited space such as a high-rise apartment, composting can be customized to suit any situation. 

The most important message, however, is that composting is a simple and yet effective step anyone can take to help alleviate the burden on our landfills, replenish soil nutrients, and reduce carbon and methane emissions. 


María Fernanda Solíz Torres nos sacude. Nos habla de la basura como bien común. Critica su mercantilización, por ejemplo la importación de plásticos y otros desechos. Desmonta el gran engaño de la economía circular y reivindica las redes de seres humanos cuya vida gira alrededor de la basura, que trabajan con ella y la transforman. La autora reclama derechos para la basura, recupera con fuerza y lucidez el papel y por cierto también los derechos de las personas que la reciclan de oficio, insertos en un movimiento de recicladoras y recicladores en América Latina.

En este libro provocador abundan experiencias esperanzadoras de reciclaje inclusivo contadas desde abajo. Y lo potente de sus reflexiones se cierra con una constatación que cobra cada vez más fuerza en el planeta: la necesidad de librerarnos de la religión del crecimiento económico, pues para transitar a un mundo en donde se logre la meta de “basura cero” hay que transitar por el decrecimiento, que no puede ser confundido con una recesión o depresión económica. Prólogo Alberto Acosta y Esperanza Martínez.

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