The Hague International Model United Nations 2020| 26 th January 2020 – 31 st January 2020 Research Report | Page 1 of 15 Forum: ECOSOC Issue: Measures to reduce non-biodegradable waste Student Officer: Maria Meri Position: Co-Chair Introduction Food waste over the last decade has increased rapidly and significantly. People all around the world produce a lot of wastes in a daily routine, which they either throw away or discard them. Kitchen wastes and expendable items are some examples of substances which people use. The expendable items are usually made from materials such as paper, plastic, glass etc. From the other side, kitchen wastes could be vegetables and fruit peels. These substances are named biodegradable substances because they can be easily broken down by active bacteria and other decomposers. Unfortunately, all other materials are extremely difficult to be broken down. Technology in order to ameliorate livelihood and facilitate people’s lives gave birth to an innovative form of life. For instance, plastic bottles are convenient to use and carry however its disposal affects negatively the environment. As a result, tons of materials are wasted by humans widely every day, but only some of them are actually harmful for the environment. That’s why was te materials could be categorised in two groups: The biodegradable and the non-biodegradable materials. All these lead us to the conclusion that all non-biodegradable materials are harmful and should be banned. However, this topic should be approached from a more wide perspective, taking into consideration not only the environmental aspect of the issue but also the economic and social. It is logical t that by cutting off their disposal not only people will be frustrated but the global economy will have to face a huge financial blow. To conclude, since ECOSOC’s responsibility is to examine all issues from a more general point or view the solutions to the problem should be more precise and effective than just denying what technology has offered to humanity.
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Introduction...materials recovery industry makes a significant contribution to the economy. As a result both biodegradable and non biodegradable wastes affect the economic. However
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The Hague International Model United Nations 2020| 26th January 2020 – 31
st January 2020
Research Report | Page 1 of 15
Forum: ECOSOC
Issue: Measures to reduce non-biodegradable waste
Student Officer: Maria Meri
Position: Co-Chair
Introduction
Food waste over the last decade has increased rapidly and significantly. People all around the world
produce a lot of wastes in a daily routine, which they either throw away or discard them. Kitchen wastes
and expendable items are some examples of substances which people use. The expendable items are
usually made from materials such as paper, plastic, glass etc. From the other side, kitchen wastes could
be vegetables and fruit peels. These substances are named biodegradable substances because they
can be easily broken down by active bacteria and other decomposers. Unfortunately, all other materials
are extremely difficult to be broken down.
Technology in order to ameliorate livelihood and facilitate people’s lives gave birth to an innovative form
of life. For instance, plastic bottles are convenient to use and carry however its disposal affects
negatively the environment. As a result, tons of materials are wasted by humans widely every day, but
only some of them are actually harmful for the environment. That’s why waste materials could be
categorised in two groups: The biodegradable and the non-biodegradable materials.
All these lead us to the conclusion that all non-biodegradable materials are harmful and should be
banned. However, this topic should be approached from a more wide perspective, taking into
consideration not only the environmental aspect of the issue but also the economic and social. It is
logical t that by cutting off their disposal not only people will be frustrated but the global economy will
have to face a huge financial blow. To conclude, since ECOSOC’s responsibility is to examine all issues
from a more general point or view the solutions to the problem should be more precise and effective than
just denying what technology has offered to humanity.
The Hague International Model United Nations 2020| 26th January 2020 – 31
st January 2020
Page 2 of 15 | Research Report
Definition of Key Terms
Waste: Is the act of consuming, spending or employing uselessly or without giving full value or being
fully utilized or appreciated.1
Biodegradable waste: Bio-waste is defined as biodegradable garden and park waste, food and kitchen
waste from households, restaurants, caterers and retail premises, and comparable waste from food
processing plants. It does not include forestry or agricultural residues, manure, sewage sludge, or other
biodegradable waste such as natural textiles, paper or processed wood. It also excludes those by-
products of food production that never become waste.2
Non-biodegradable waste: A Non-Biodegradable material can be defined as a kind of substance which
cannot be broken down by natural organisms and acts as a source of pollution. Unlike biodegradable
wastes, non-biodegradable cannot be easily handled. Non-biodegradable wastes are those who cannot
be decomposed or dissolved by natural agents. They remain on earth for thousands of years without any
degradation.3
Municipal waste: Municipal waste covers household waste and waste similar in nature and composition
to household waste.4
Biodegradable municipal waste: Biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) comprises those elements of
the municipal waste streams that will rot or degrade biologically. The main constituents of the
biodegradable proportion of municipal waste are typically parks and garden waste, food waste, timber,
The Hague International Model United Nations 2020| 26th January 2020 – 31
st January 2020
Page 10 of 15 | Research Report
The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other
Matter 1972 (London Convention) and its 1996 Protocol (the London Protocol)
The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Waste and Other Matters, 1972
(London Convention) and the 1996 Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by
Dumping of Waste and Other Matters are two important global instrument directly applicable to marine
plastic litter and microplastics. The purpose of the London Convention and Protocol is to facilitate the
efficient management of all sources of marine pollution. Parties shall take appropriate steps to avoid
contamination of the marine environment caused by dumping at sea.
The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and
Their Disposal (Basel Convention)
According to the UNEP assessment, the Basel Convention 31 sets out the most systematic approach to
the issue of marine plastic litter and microplastics worldwide, since the provisions of the Convention on
waste minimisation, the environmentally sustainable management of waste produced and the
transboundary movement of such waste are related to plastic waste. The Convention has also
established a range of technical guidance documents on the identification and environmentally
sustainable management of plastic waste and its disposal, which provide detailed guidance on the
matter.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Resolution 70/133 and the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development was adopted in 2015 by the
United Nations General Assembly with 17 sustainable development goals (SDG), including SDG 14 to
conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources. Each SDG includes targets and
under the 10 targets for the implementation of SDG 14 (“Life below water”), target 14.1 specifically aims
to prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities,
including marine litter and nutrient pollution.
Previous Attempts to solve the Issue
IMO Action Plan to Address Marine Plastic Litter from Ships
The Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) of the IMO recently adopted (on 26 October
2018) an Action Plan to Resolve Marine Plastic Litter from Ships (Resolution MEPC.310(73)) to help find
a global solution to prevent marine plastic litter from entering the oceans through ship-based activities.
IMO Member States agreed actions to be completed by 2025, which relate to all ships, including fishing
vessels since It recognizes the importance of addressing the environmental and health problems posed
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st January 2020
Research Report | Page 11 of 15
by marine plastic litter. The action plan also seeks to address possible gaps in MARPOL such as waste
from dredging, which must be fully assessed to ensure it does not contain harmful materials like plastics.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
The Convention on Biological Diversity18 (CBD) is a global convention unanimously endorsed by 196
Parties 19. The Convention does not explicitly discuss degradation of the aquatic environment, as it is
primarily concerned with the protection of biological diversity. However on 10 December 2016, the CBD
adopted Resolution CBD/COP/DEC/XIII/1020 addressing the effect of aquatic debris and anthropogenic
underwater noise on marine and coastal biodiversity.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
The European Union's approach to waste management is based on the 'waste hierarchy,' which sets out
the following priority order for waste policy and waste management at operational level: prevention,
(preparation for) reuse, recycling, recovery and as the least preferred choice, disposal (which includes
land filling and incineration without energy recovery).
In line with the 7th Environment Action Programme sets the following priority objectives for waste policy
in the EU:
Eliminate the waste generated;
Optimize recycling and re-use;
Restrict incineration to non-recyclable materials;
To phase out landfills for non-recyclable and non-recoverable waste;
Ensure consistent adoption of the waste policy goals in all Member States.
Summary of Measures, Policies and Initiatives Implemented by APEC Economies
2021 Proposed Projects
APEC Seminar on the Promotion of Circular Economy and Sustainable Material Management to effectively fix marine plastic litter in the Asia-Pacific region (Viet Nam)
Building resources for solid waste management (United States)
Exchange of best practices and scientific and technical approaches for the detection, characterization, risk evaluation and remediation of micro-and nanoplastics (United States)
2020 Projects
Encouraging creative models to minimize and control land-based debris in the oceans for sustainable development (Viet Nam)