GAIA Members

Mayo, 2026

Costa Rica enfrenta una crisis de residuos con sus rellenos sanitarios casi al límite de su capacidad. El Municipio de León Cortés, por ejemplo, envía el 85% de sus residuos al relleno sanitario, y solo un 14% tiene como destino el reciclaje. Esta situación ha llevado a una proliferación de proyectos de incineración en el país, amenazando tesoros de biodiversidad como la zona Monumento Natural de los Santos, una zona rural y cafetera donde ocurre parte del proyecto de soluciones basura cero que presentaremos a través de la experiencia de Yoselin Zuñiga.

Yoselin Zúñiga, monitora ambiental del proyecto Lideresas del cambio.
© Camila Aguilera.

Yoselin vive en el barrio El Estadio, en León Cortés, y fue una de las siete promotoras ambientales del proyecto Líderesas del Cambio, impulsado por la Asociación Defensores del Monumento Natural Zona de los Santos. El proyecto nació con el fin de buscar soluciones desde el origen del problema y de llegar con esas soluciones a la vida cotidiana de las personas. 

El proyecto comenzó con un estudio de composición de residuos que arrojó que el 60% de los residuos de los hogares que iban a participar en el proyecto correspondía a residuos orgánicos que terminaban en el relleno sanitario. Por otro lado, el municipio ofrecía retiro diferenciado, pero faltaba potenciar la educación ambiental para generar los cambios que se necesitaban para que existiera un compromiso a largo plazo por parte de los hogares.

“No era citar a la gente a un salón y decirles qué hacer. Era ir a sus casas, adaptarse a sus horarios, compartir un café, conversar”, comenta Yoselin.

Promotoras ambientales, el corazón del proyecto

Monitoras ambientales.

La mayoría de los hogares que participaron en el proyecto estaban compuestos por mujeres que sostenían las tareas del hogar y que, por lo tanto, tenían dificultades para salir de la casa  y asistir a charlas o talleres. Por eso, las siete Lideresas del cambio eran mujeres del mismo barrio, también jefas de hogar, que compartían un lenguaje común y sabían cómo abordar la cotidianidad del barrio para sacar adelante el proyecto.

“Queríamos demostrar que las mujeres somos la primera base del hogar en lo que tiene que ver con reciclaje y compostaje”, explica Yoselin. “No desde un discurso feminista, sino desde la realidad cotidiana. Somos quienes sostenemos gran parte de la casa y también podemos impulsar estos cambios”.

Para cumplir la misión de hacer las visitas domiciliarias, las  monitoras recibieron una capacitación de 16 horas para fortalecer sus capacidades técnicas y habilidades sociales, prepararon materiales educativos y fichas de monitoreo. 

Llevar la educación ambiental a cada casa

Una de las decisiones del proyecto fue evitar capacitaciones masivas o charlas impersonales. Las conversaciones de las tres visitas que estaban contempladas para los 175 hogares que se sumaron al proyecto ocurrían dentro de las casas, en horarios acordados con cada familia. “No es lo mismo llegar a entregar un afiche que sentarse a conversar con alguien que ya conoce a la persona que le está hablando”, comenta Yoselin.

Recorrido por el barrio El Estadio, Costa Rica.

Las visitas se adaptaban a cada familia y fue un acompañamiento en el que se enseñó a compostar, a segregar y a reducir. Algunas personas aprendían escuchando, otras necesitaban ver ejemplos o tocar materiales. Por eso llevaban portafolios con muestras y apoyos visuales. “La idea no era solo ir a decir cosas. Era que realmente captaran el mensaje”, explica Yoselin.

Compostaje, menos malos olores y menos basura

El proyecto contempló la gestión de la fracción de orgánicos desde el comienzo. Quienes querían compostar en sus propios patios recibieron orientación y, quienes no podían hacerlo, tuvieron la opción de acceder a retiro diferenciado.  Para ello, se articuló un trabajo con Ovejas Verdes, el programa piloto municipal de gestión de residuos orgánicos, que envía los residuos a Coopetarrazu, la planta  de gestión de orgánicos industrial más grande de Costa Rica, donde el compost generado vuelve a productores de café.

Visita a la planta de compostaje de Coopetarrazu.

“El orgánico fue lo que más le gustó a mucha gente”, recuerda Yoselin . “En la segunda visita me decían: ‘Los gusanos se me quitaron de la basura, los malos olores, las cucarachas también’”.

 “Uno pasa una semana acumulando residuos orgánicos en una bolsa y claro que eso genera malos olores. Cuando empezaron a separarlos, el cambio se notó de inmediato”.

“La gente me acogió muy bonito”

Si bien cada paso que se dio permitió consolidar cambios sostenidos con impactos ambientales positivos, también se buscaba impulsar una transformación social a través del fortalecimiento del liderazgo de las promotoras y que el barrio El Estadio se convirtiera en un referente ambiental en el cantón. 

Yoselin dice que una de las cosas que más la marcó fue la forma en que las familias abrieron las puertas de sus casas.“Entrar al hogar de alguien siempre es delicado. Uno podría pensar que la gente se va a sentir incómoda si le dicen qué hacer con sus residuos”. Pero ocurrió lo contrario. “No tuve malas caras de nadie. En la segunda visita ya me decían que llegara a la hora del café o del almuerzo para compartir”, comenta.

Para Yoselin, buena parte de los resultados tuvieron que ver con la cercanía. Ese enfoque permitió que las familias se sintieran parte del proceso y no simplemente receptoras de instrucciones. “Si alguien no podía un día, reprogramábamos. Todo era muy accesible. Entonces las personas también se comprometían”.

El miedo a los basureros clandestinos y la amenaza de la incineración

Aunque el proyecto mostró buenos resultados, Yoselin señala que todavía existe preocupación por el futuro de los residuos en la zona, “Sabemos que tenemos un problema. El problema de los plásticos de un solo uso, de la contaminación tan grande que hay, de que los rellenos sanitarios ya no dan abasto. En la zona ya las municipalidades no tienen contratos con los botaderos de basura. Y lo que más miedo nos provoca a nosotros como asociación y a nosotras como promotoras son los basureros clandestinos”, explica.

También menciona la amenaza de una incineradora proyectada para la zona, “Si llega el momento en que la municipalidad no tiene dónde llevar esa basura, ¿qué va a hacer? La gente va a tirarla donde pueda o van a poner la incineradora. Una incineradora que sabemos que en San Pablo León Cortés tiene los permisos firmados. Entonces, nosotros necesitamos dar a entender que sí se puede, que el cambio se puede hacer.”, reflexiona Yoselin.

Para ella, la solución no pasa solamente por gestionar mejor la basura, sino por reducirla desde el origen. “La idea no es pasar la vida buscando cómo resolver los residuos. La idea es que no se generen”.

“No podemos perder a esas familias”

Cuando habla del futuro, Yoselin insiste en la continuidad. “No queremos que esto desaparezca”. Las familias ya capacitadas, dice, necesitan seguimiento, nuevas actividades y espacios donde seguir participando.

Al cerrar la conversación, vuelve a recalcar que el proyecto funcionó porque se construyó desde el barrio, entre personas que ya se conocían y compartían la vida cotidiana. “Fueron más de quinientas personas alcanzadas entre adultos y niños. No podemos perder eso”.

“La gente estaba feliz con el cambio.”, sostuvo Yoselin.

For 10 days in the Philippines, environmental advocates from across the world moved through neighbourhoods before sunrise with waste pickers, sorted discarded plastics by hand, observed community composting systems, and studied how ordinary residents are helping to build functioning zero-waste communities. 

This included six environmental organisations from Africa (Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana and Togo.) The experience, participants from Africa say, challenged long-held assumptions about waste management and offered practical lessons that could help African communities confront the growing crisis of plastic pollution.

The Asia-Pacific Zero Waste Academy, co-organised by the Mother Earth Foundation and GAIA Asia Pacific, brought together 36 participants from 12 countries for an intensive training programme on community-level zero-waste implementation. Through workshops, field visits and study tours, participants were exposed to waste segregation systems, reuse and refill models, composting initiatives and material recovery facilities operating across communities in the Philippines.

The programme sought to demonstrate that zero waste “is not just a concept, it is a system we can build”.

Participants engaged directly with waste pickers and community waste workers in barangays such as San Agustin, where they participated in waste collection exercises, monitoring activities, and community education campaigns. They also conducted baseline surveys and observed how local governments and residents collaborate to sustain waste management systems.

Visits to material recovery facilities in Dampalit, Malabon City, San Fernando, and Barangay Malpitic in Pampanga offered practical insights into waste-sorting, recycling, and reduction systems. Attendees later travelled to Dumaguete City for dialogues with members of the Dumaguete Waste Workers Association and the Philippines National Waste Pickers Alliance, where discussions focused on the social and economic dimensions of zero-waste systems.

For End Plastic Pollution, Mazingira Plus, Up Cycle It Ghana, NGO Jeunes Verts Togo, and CODAF, the experience challenged assumptions about what is required to build sustainable waste systems.

Abdalla Mikulu, executive director of Mazingira Plus in Tanzania, said the academy deepened his understanding of how women-led community systems are addressing plastic pollution and organic waste challenges.

“I was especially inspired by the adaptability of reuse and refill models across different local contexts and their role in reducing single-use plastics,” he said. “It reinforced that zero waste systems can be designed to fit both low- and high-income communities through context-specific approaches.”

Participants also undertook Waste Assessment and Brand Audits (Waba), sorting through discarded packaging to trace patterns of production and consumption. The exercise examined how single-use packaging travels across borders into local communities and highlighted the structural systems driving plastic pollution.

The academy concluded with “The Great Challenge”, during which participants designed practical zero waste implementation plans. The African participants presented a model for implementing a zero waste system in a community in Togo, focusing on reuse, refill systems and organic waste management.

Nirere Sadrach, founder of End Plastic Pollution Uganda, described the programme as an opportunity to gain practical knowledge that could strengthen zero-waste projects in Uganda.

“It was an opportunity to experience the practice of waste segregation, reuse, refill and composting, and to work with waste pickers and community leaders to ensure the functionality of the zero waste model,” he said.

For Melody Enyinnaya of CODAF Nigeria, the academy marked “a paradigm shift”.

“Witnessing communities in Malabon, San Fernando and Siquijor living proof that zero waste is not a distant ideal but an achievable, everyday reality, powered by strong legislation, community ownership and remarkably simple infrastructure, has completely transformed how I approach our work in Nigeria,” she said.

She argued that African countries require “stronger political will, better data, and communities that are trusted and empowered to lead” rather than expensive technologies.

Frank Sekyere of Upcycle It Ghana said the programme demonstrated that adopting zero waste approaches was “a necessary step towards a sustainable future”.

“The hands-on experience, particularly with the 10 steps to zero waste implementation, was truly eye-opening,” he said. “Every effort, no matter how small, plays a vital role in creating a cleaner, more sustainable world.”

Raissa Oureya of the NGO Jeunes Verts Togo said the academy demonstrated that zero-waste communities can be built with locally available resources and strong local leadership.

“I am returning motivated and full of energy to implement the zero waste project in my municipality, Golfe 4,” she said. “Zero waste is not perfect, but it’s possible.”

ENDS.

By: OUREYA RAISSA

From April 18 to 26, 2026, I participated in the Zero Waste Academy: Community Zero Waste Program Implementation Course, hosted by GAIA Asia-Pacific and the Mother Earth Foundation in Manila, the vibrant capital of the Philippines. The event brought together people committed to building a world beyond throwaway culture. 

For nine intensive days, activists, experts, practitioners, and young leaders from around the world came together to learn, exchange ideas, and develop practical approaches for a fair and sustainable transition to zero waste. I felt deeply honoured to be part of this experience. 

Exploring the global challenges to achieve  zero waste 

The Zero Waste Academy was far more than a typical conference. It was a safe learning space rooted in the realities of local communities that are too often left out of mainstream discussions. Conversations were open and honest, critical thinking was encouraged, and the mix of participants from Asia and Africa created a powerful exchange of perspectives. It was a rare environment where ideas were tested, assumptions challenged, and learning happened both in the sessions and in conversations with fellow participants. For me, it was a transformative experience. 

Over the course of the week, several key issues were explored: 

False solutions under scrutiny: the case of waste-to-energy 

One of the sessions focused on false solutions, especially Waste-to-Energy (WtE), which burns waste to produce energy. Although some industry and institutional actors present it as a climate solution, the session clearly showed its limits. 

Using evidence and data, speakers explained that waste incineration releases greenhouse gases and toxic pollutants, destroys recyclable materials, and diverts investment away from truly circular systems. Rather than solving the waste crisis, Waste-to-Energy reinforces the same cycle of overproduction and disposal that zero-waste principles seek to end. This is a lesson I will carry into my future advocacy. 

A just transition: leaving no one behind 

Another major theme was the idea of a just transition. I was especially moved by the recognition given to waste pickers and by the acknowledgement of their strength and resilience. These workers, mostly women, collect, sort, and sell materials every day, making an essential contribution to the recycling system. 

Organic waste: an overlooked opportunity 

Organic waste accounts for more than half of household waste in much of the Global South, yet it is still often dumped or burned, producing significant methane emissions. The Academy dedicated several sessions to this issue, especially community composting solutions.  

For African stakeholders, these approaches are particularly relevant: they are low-cost, adapted to local realities, create jobs, reduce emissions, and improve both soil fertility and food security. 

Reuse and its benefits: reclaiming control of our resources 

Reuse was also a major topic of discussion. In response to the growing volume of single-use products, many local initiatives are already adopting deposit-return systems and reusable packaging as practical alternatives. What struck me most was that these solutions do not depend on advanced technology. They depend primarily on cultural change and community mobilisation—qualities that Africa already has in abundance. 

MRFs: seeing zero waste in practice 

One of the week’s highlights was the visit to Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in several barangays in Manila. These community-based sorting and recycling centres, often modest in scale, show what zero waste can look like in practice. They recover materials, return them to the local economy, and create decent jobs within neighbourhoods. 

Seeing these facilities in operation convinced me even more that zero waste is not just a theory for wealthy countries. Communities with limited resources in the Global South are already making it work. It may not be perfect, but it is real, practical, and effective. 

What I am bringing back to Lomé 

I am returning to Lomé with more than memories—I am returning with a plan. 

What I saw in Manila strengthened my determination to help advance a Zero Waste Plan for Lomé. The plan would be practical, community-driven, and rooted in the realities of our neighbourhoods. It would focus on creating local MRF centres, recovering organic waste, supporting informal recycling workers, and involving young people as agents of change. 

This effort cannot be built alone. It will require young people, community actors, municipal authorities, and everyone who believes, as I do, that Lomé can become a leading zero-waste city in Francophone Africa. Zero waste is possible. It does not need to be perfect. It simply needs to begin. 

The government cannot address waste alone. As civil society organisations, we also have a responsibility to help build a zero-waste future. – Raïssa Oureya 

BY: OUREYA RAISSA, NGO Jeunes Verts, Togo,  GAIA Africa Member 

Brussels, Belgium – 30 March 2026 – On the occasion of International Zero Waste Day, the European network Zero Waste Europe is spotlighting how communities in Montenegro are turning food waste into a valuable resource through the #ForkToFarm project. Over the last two years, Montenegrin municipalities have clearly demonstrated how decentralized bio-waste management can help reduce methane emissions, improve soil health, and support local food systems.

Across Europe, research suggests 74% of food waste generated still ends up in landfill or incineration. For a lot of European countries, landfill remains the predominant disposal methods and organic waste ending up here will decompose and release methane – a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term. By separating food and garden waste, and then composting it locally, communities can significantly cut emissions while returning valuable nutrients to the soil.

The #ForkToFarmproject, implemented by Zero Waste Montenegro in municipalities including Danilovgrad, Tuzi, Kotor and Podgorica, promotes practical solutions such as household composting, community composting sites, and awareness campaigns encouraging residents to separate organic waste at source. Through trainings and community engagement, residents learn how to transform food scraps and garden waste into compost that can be used in gardens, farms, and green spaces.

“Organic waste is one of the biggest untapped opportunities to reduce emissions in the waste sector,” said Kristina Joksimovic from Zero Waste Montenegro. “By keeping food waste out of landfills and turning it into compost, for relatively low costs, communities can take immediate climate action while supporting healthier soils and more resilient food systems. However, to unlock this potential at scale, we need significantly more public investment in organic waste management and food waste prevention. This must become a clear priority within climate and waste policies and infrastructure investments.”

The project shows that decentralized solutions can work effectively even in municipalities with limited waste management infrastructure. Participating households have reported reductions in mixed waste, while communities benefit from locally produced compost that can improve soil quality and reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers.

These initiatives also support broader European efforts to strengthen bio-waste collection and reduce the environmental impact of waste management. By empowering local communities and municipalities to manage organic waste more sustainably, the project demonstrates a scalable model that can be replicated across Europe.

“The UN Zero Waste Day reminds us that preventing waste is one of the most effective climate solutions available today,” Jack McQuibban, Head of Local Zero Waste Implementation at Zero Waste Europe,  added. “The experiences from Montenegro show that with the right support, communities can transform food waste into a resource and move closer to a zero waste future.”

By documenting these experiences, the #ForkToFarm case study aims to inspire municipalities and organisations across Europe to adopt decentralized bio-waste systems that keep organic materials in circulation and out of landfills.

UN gives global recognition to community-based zero waste systems

The theme for this year’s UN Day of Zero Waste— food waste– could not be more timely. Approximately 1.05 to 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted or lost globally each year, amounting to roughly one-third of all food produced for human consumption. Not only is the amount of wasted food staggering, but it also worsens the climate crisis: the waste sector is the third largest source of human-caused methane emissions–  a short-lived greenhouse gas that traps 82.5 times as much heat as CO2 over a 20-year timespan.

The good news is municipalities across the world have implemented simple, affordable solutions to the food waste crisis, with remarkable results. By simply preventing good food from being thrown away and composting the rest, cities have protected public health, created more and better jobs, and boosted both waste diversion and resilient food systems.  

Today in honor of the United Nations Day of Zero Waste,  the United Nations Environment Program and UN-Habitat have recognized five of our members’ zero waste cities projects in the Global South in their selection of 20 Cities Towards Zero Waste, elevating these programs as a blueprint for other cities around the world to follow. 

So what do these five zero waste programs have in common that made them a globally recognized model? In short– a dedication to social and environmental justice.

Varkala, India: Building the “Green Army”

Varkala, a municipality in the southern Indian state of Kerala, has been working with the guidance and support of GAIA member Thanal to build out zero waste systems for the past several years. The beauty of its organic waste program is that it employs a range of decentralized technologies that make organic waste management accessible on a household level. This includes kitchen composting bins, pipe composting units, biogas plants, aerobic bins, and community resource recovery centers that together address 72% of the city’s municipal solid waste. The program achieved compliance rates for source separation of 80% in the residential sector and 88% in the commercial sector within just five years, nearly half which is organic waste.

But the secret to Varkala’s success is two-fold: community engagement, and waste picker empowerment. Led by Thanal, the city engages residents through the “Green Army,” a campaign platform educating schoolchildren and neighborhoods on segregation and composting. Thanal also runs a Zero Waste Centre that functions as a resource recovery and training hub, empowering women through sustainable employment and fostering innovation in waste processing near the source. Women-led self-help groups participate actively in waste collection and composting, promoting social inclusion and providing employment opportunities within marginalized communities.

Read the case study

Accra, Ghana: A Masterclass in Community Engagement

Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO), in Ghana, launched campus eco-clubs. ©GAYO

Accra deserves recognition for pioneering inclusive and effective waste management solutions through its partnership with the Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO), empowering informal workers, reducing landfill dependence, and promoting circular economy approaches in a rapidly urbanizing African city. Accra has made significant strides in diverting waste from landfills and is working to go beyond through engaging with the LOW-M Initiative, which supports cities to reduce waste methane emissions and unlock implementation by mobilising partner support. GAYO’s work on methane reduction with organic waste treatment project was named winner of the world’s most prestigious environmental prize in the clean air category, the Earthshot Prize, in 2024. 

The city raises awareness through community campaigns, school engagement, educational workshops, and partnerships that promote source separation and composting. GAYO’s model centers marginalized groups by formally integrating over 600 informal waste workers, including many women and youth, providing training, fair employment, health and safety advocacy, and opportunities to participate as community educators. 

Read the blog

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Collaboration is Key 

(c) Nipe Fagio

Dar Es Salaam has had incredible success in its zero waste program, collecting 1.74 tonnes of waste daily from 4.500 households (95%), achieving virtually 100% of organic waste diversion from disposal, equivalent to a reduction of 16.4 tonnes of methane emissions per year. GAIA member Nipe Fagio has been supporting the Tanzanian government every step of the way, engaging residents on zero waste through community-based campaigns involving door-to-door visits, and community surveys that motivate behavioral change and proper waste management. 

This community-driven model integrates waste picker cooperatives– supporting the newly launched Tanzania Waste Pickers Association (TAWAPA). This includes formal training programs and support, equipment, skills development, and leadership training that improve their working conditions. The Dar es Salaam model has taken off:  interest generated by word-of-mouth has led to expansion within the city and then to other jurisdictions the country, including Zanzibar, Arusha and Tanga.  There is great interest across Africa for their Zero Waste Academies, which provided microgrants for zero waste implementation in 9 African countries.  

Read the blog

San Fernando, Philippines: Win-Win for All

Waste worker in San Fernando, Philippines, working on the composting area of a Material Recovery Facility. ©VJ Villafranca.

San Fernando has long been heralded as a zero waste model globally, having begun its zero waste journey over a decade ago.  The city improved waste diversion from 12% in 2012 to 80.69% in 2018, with a compliance rate in source separation of 93%. Through its zero waste system, the municipality has been able to reduce disposal costs by nearly half, from USD 1.4M to about USD 677K annually. 

GAIA member Mother Earth Foundation (MEF) provides vital technical, educational, and advocacy support that powers the city’s zero waste systems. One example is an intensive public information, education campaign to encourage residents’ participation, with incentives like a contest for the best-performing neighborhood (called barangay) on a live TV show called “Win-win for All.” MEF also helped organize a 160 person waste workers association that was formalized by the city– enhancing livelihoods, upgrading their working conditions, income, and social recognition while improving waste collection services. 

San Fernando’s success is part of the Zero Waste Cities Network Philippines, which shares replicable strategies, governance models, and advocacy lessons to other cities nationwide. 

Read the case study

Florianópolis

Florianopolis deserves recognition as a top zero waste city for its ambitious and effective Florianópolis Capital Lixo Zero program, alongside pioneering community composting and inclusive waste recovery efforts that have radically reduced organic waste sent to disposal. With the technical support of GAIA member Instituto Pólis, in just three years Florianopolis has more than quadrupled food waste composting from 1,175 tonnes in 2020 to 5,126 tonnes in 2024, and doubled green organic waste collection. 

The city raises awareness of zero waste through education, technical support, and strong community participation. A key example is the “Minhoca na Cabeça” program, which has distributed over 2,000 home composting kits with mandatory training, diverting about 32 kg of organic waste per household monthly, as well as school and community composting programs. Informal waste recyclers are integrated through contracts with Comcap for sorting services, ensuring employment and dignified inclusion. 

The city also puts a strong emphasis on sharing best practices, including hosting two Composting Tours, where leaders of waste pickers and municipal managers from the five Brazilian regions were able to observe in practice how the implemented strategies work and discuss the possibility of replicating them in their own territories.

Read the case study

It Takes a Village to Go Zero Waste 

What these five cities’ stories demonstrate is that in order to have a successful zero waste system, no one can be left behind. It takes deep engagement with the public for municipalities to make zero waste work, hand-in-hand with community-based organizations with the technical expertise and outreach capabilities required. Informal workers must be officially recognized for their vital contribution to zero waste systems, and given the wages, benefits, and protections to be able to work with dignity. And finally, it is critical that these best-practices be shared and supported with financial mechanisms that are suitable for community-based, decentralized systems that prioritize upstream solutions over end-of-pipe interventions. The experience of these five cities provide valuable insights for any municipality considering a zero waste plan. The solutions are out there, now it is up to us to scale them. 

5 de febrero, 2026

Con una apuesta por la educación como motor de transformación social y ambiental, se desarrolló en Nicaragua un proceso académico de formación en educación ambiental, que culminó con la realización del Primer seminario de educación ambiental y formación docente.

Impulsado por la Universidad Técnica de Comercio, el Centro de Investigación, Capacitación y Formación Ambiental, junto a los miembros de GAIA y Break Free From Plastic, Basura Cero Nicaragua, el proceso incluyó jornadas de formación, un ciclo de seminarios web y espacios de intercambio que permitieron fortalecer capacidades pedagógicas y metodológicas. Como resultado, nueve docentes completaron la certificación y más de 48 personas participaron activamente en las instancias virtuales previas, consolidando una comunidad educativa comprometida con el enfoque basura cero.

Para Karla Escoto, de Basura Cero Nicaragua, este camino respondió a una necesidad urgente. “En Nicaragua, el docente no suele ser considerado protagonista de la educación ambiental”, explica. Sin embargo, la experiencia acumulada en jornadas de trabajo con profesionales de la educación, sumada al involucramiento voluntario de jóvenes que ya desarrollaban acciones en colegios como reciclajes comunitarios, charlas y limpiezas de costa, evidenció que existía una base sólida sobre la cual avanzar.

Ese diagnóstico llevó a  Basura Cero Nicaragua a reflexionar sobre la importancia de incorporar durante 2025 un proceso formativo estructurado. “No se trataba solo de sensibilizar, sino de generar herramientas reales para que docentes y líderes juveniles adolescentes lideraran procesos en sus comunidades, usando los centros educativos como base de acción”, señala Karla. 

Por otro lado, uno de los momentos más significativos del proceso fue tener la oportunidad de contar con espacios de intercambio regional y escuchar las experiencias que compartieron Alicia Franco, de la Alianza Basura Cero Ecuador, Julia Elena Picado, de la Asociación Defensores del Monumento Natural Zona de los Santos, Costa Rica, y Aliz García, de Bioética, Honduras. “Hablar de basura cero en las escuelas exige partir de la experiencia vivida y sistematizada. Eso fue clave en el intercambio regional”, destaca Escoto.

Más allá del intercambio conceptual, el seminario también puso énfasis en el trabajo práctico. Las y los docentes desarrollaron herramientas que pueden aplicarse de inmediato en sus centros educativos como actividades lúdicas vinculadas al buen vivir libre de tóxicos, matrices de planificación, propuestas extracurriculares para reducir plásticos de un solo uso y orientaciones para avanzar hacia colegios basura cero.

Profesora Amalia Angulo Bonilla, Colegio Enrique de Ossó, participante de la formación docente.

Este enfoque, explica Karla, permite evaluar aprendizajes fuera del aula, identificar liderazgos juveniles y fortalecer el vínculo entre escuelas y comunidades, alineándose además con los ejes de la política educativa nacional. “Las actividades prácticas ayudan a que los y las jóvenes se conecten con experiencias reales y se alejen de dinámicas que afectan especialmente a la adolescencia”, agrega.

Más sobre Basura Cero Nicaragua:

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collage of GAIA members holding their reusable tumblers for refuse single use day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 1, 2025

Armourdale, Kansas — After months of Armourdale community action, led by RiSE for Environmental Justice (RiSE4EJ), Reworld (formerly Covanta) withdrew its permit application to build a chemical waste processing facility in Armourdale, Kansas. Among other concerns, residents flagged significant deficiencies in the permit filing and raised objections to unpermitted construction. The permit withdrawal comes after residents demanded transparency and accurate information about many key threats to public health, including increased truck traffic, wastewater transport and discharge, and flooding–none of which were addressed in the permit application.

On July 10, 2025, Reworld submitted a Special Use Permit (SUP) application to construct a Materials Processing Facility (MPF) in Armourdale, Kansas, and began construction at the site before any such permit was granted. Led by RiSE4EJ, a local community-based, environmental justice organization, and with support from the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), the Armourdale community spent the past four months organizing community residents–including numerous meetings and trainings, informational sessions, and uplifting community expertise. They have also been working to ensure transparency and to provide information to the boards of commissioners during their evaluation of Reworld’s permit application. This effort turned out community members who provided powerful testimony–some for the first time–at every City Planning Commission permit hearing.

“This win belongs to the people: to every neighbor who showed up, spoke up, translated, shared flyers, gathered signatures, counted trucks, made calls, and refused to be silenced,” said Beto Lugo Martinez, Executive Director of RiSE4EJ. “It’s proof that grassroots power works and that when communities come together, we can protect our health, our air, and our future.”

“When we work together to uplift and center the voices of the most impacted communities, we wield a powerful tool against the corporations trying to build their dirty, toxic infrastructure near our homes,” said Jessica Roff, Plastics & Petrochemicals Program Manager, US/Canada at GAIA. “Industry already overburdens specific communities–mostly Black, Brown, Indigenous, and lower wealth communities–so it is critical that we hold them accountable for truth and transparency, and when they don’t deliver, they don’t get to operate.”

City Planning commissioners recognized the potential threats posed by the MPF and required Reworld to provide studies on the facility’s public health and environmental impacts, as well as to hold numerous meetings to engage and hear from community members. After months of delays and failing to comply with these requirements, Reworld withdrew its SUP application from the Planning and Zoning board.

RiSE4EJ, GAIA, and the Armourdale community will work to ensure that Reworld does not move its toxic proposal to another community down the road.

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About RiSE 4 Environmental Justice (RiSE4EJ): RiSE4EJ organizes in resistance to chemical exposures, environmental toxins, environmental racism, and ecological destruction to improve and protect the health and well-being of fenceline communities. RiSE4EJ centers on community solutions to dismantle the root causes of injustice through self-determination, affirming the rights of people of color to represent and speak for themselves, and reclaiming a future where our rights to clean air, land, and water are safeguarded.

About the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA): GAIA is a worldwide alliance of more than 1,000 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.

Press Contacts:
Beto Lugo Martinez: betomtz.lugo@rise4ej.org
Atenas Mena: atenas@rise4ej.org
María Guillén: mariaguillen@no-burn.org

As we mark GAIA’s twenty-fifth year, we’re taking a moment to honour the people, movements, and everyday acts of courage that shaped this global community. What began as a shared refusal to accept toxic, extractive systems has grown into a vibrant network pushing for justice, circularity, and care at every level.

To celebrate this milestone, Dr. Shahriar Hossain of the Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO) in Bangladesh offers a poem that traces the quiet power of collective work from the ground up. It’s a reflection on how far we’ve come and a reminder of the roots that hold us steady as we face the years ahead.

Below is his tribute to the movement and everyone who has carried it forward.

Tide & Root: From Ash to Apples

Shahriar Hossain, Ph.D.

Twenty-five years — GAIA rose like tide and root,

quiet muscle, steady pulse, reclaiming our roots.

We flipped ash into seed; we refused to burn tomorrow;

we taught our children: refuse is not fate, but work to borrow.

Neighbors raised banners, set the kitchen table high —

grandmothers with compost scoops, youth mapping every by way.

We unmasked the smoke with stories, petitions, and hands;

we seized what was wasted and re-domesticated care in our lands.

From alley pots to island sands, our palms learned to sort and heal;

we composted histories and pressed them back into the soil.

Rubble of neglect became rich loam, rivers mended, markets steadied,

incinerators weakened as knowledge walked door to door, ready.

Repair, reuse, refuse — we rewove the small economies of home;

each household a workshop, each neighbor a step toward the comb.

A global choir — elders, youth, frontline keepers — braided practice into law;

this resistance cleared the air, cleaned our memory, demanded circular justice for all.

Twenty-five years of grit and grace: ash to apple, shame to neighborhood power.

Let the next decades be fuller, kinder, rooted in each home and hour.

Whole and together — we commit, we keep, we rise: we are the work, the promise, the morning’s steady prize.

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