Biffa announces three-year partnership with WasteAid
Waste management company Biffa has announced a three-year partnership with UK-based charity WasteAid, which will see the company support WasteAid financially and share its expertise with communities in low-income countries to improve the management of waste.
Adequate waste management facilities are at a premium in developing countries, with two billion people around the world lacking access to waste collections and the waste of some three billion people being disposed of through unregulated dumping of uncontrolled burning. This has both serious health implications for those living in areas without adequate waste infrastructure and negative environmental outcomes – some 70 per cent of the ocean plastic litter comes from countries with poor waste management.
In response to this global waste crisis, WasteAid works in developing countries with communities that have inadequate – or non-existent – waste management systems, sharing skills to help people set up their own waste management and recycling businesses.
The charity’s previous and current projects include a plastics recycling project in The Gambia and a community recycling project in Kenya, while its ‘Making Waste Work’ toolkit, provides practical guidance on low-cost, ‘waste-to-wealth’ technologies, was recognised as one of the top three publications of the year by the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) back in 2018.
The new partnership with Biffa will allow WasteAid to continue to expand its reach and take advantage of Biffa’s extensive expertise in the field of waste management when addressing complex waste issues in low-income countries.
Biffa has already provided personal protection equipment (PPE), including safety boots, high-visibility clothing and face masks, for WasteAid’s project in Ganjur, The Gambia, and is set to assist on Waste Aid’s community recycling project in Kenya.
Commenting on the partnership, Michael Topham, Chief Executive at Biffa, said: “We are proud to support WasteAid and share our expertise in parts of the world that urgently need to tackle the complex issue of how to manage waste in a sustainable manner. Our financial and technical support will help WasteAid to expand its operations, providing more communities with much needed help as they seek to develop sustainable waste management practices.”
Zoë Lenkiewicz, Head of Programmes and Engagement at WasteAid, added: “One in three people globally do not have a waste management service and have to burn or dump their waste, much of it ending up in the oceans. This transformational partnership with Biffa will mean that together we can help tackle the issues at the source of global waste pollution.”
You can find out more about WasteAid on the charity’s website.
