The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has recognized Kigali, as a leading city in waste management systems during a high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on March 30, that discussed the role of zero waste as a transformative solution in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Guterres cited Kigali, along with Kamikatsu in Japan and Ljubljana in Slovenia, as examples of cities that have achieved zero waste goals by recycling between 50 to 80 percent of their waste.

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He emphasized the need to invest in waste management systems and policies that encourage re-use and recycling, and for producers to design products that are less resource-intensive and can be recycled.

Guterres established an advisory board of eminent persons on zero waste, who will share success stories of national and local zero-waste initiatives.

Zero-waste initiatives can contribute to reducing pollution, mitigating the climate crisis, conserving biodiversity, enhancing food security, and improving human health.

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Rwanda has been at the forefront of zero-waste initiatives since 2004 when the country began implementing policies to reduce the consumption and manufacturing of single-use plastic.

Unlike "waste-to-energy" incinerators and landfills, the approach to tackling plastic waste management in Rwanda entailed the enforcement of strong policies, which has resulted in environmental, social, and economic benefits.

Kigali, the capital city, is considered one of the cleanest urban areas in Africa. Rwanda was the first country in Africa to introduce a law banning plastic and is now recognized as one of the few countries in the world to progressively react to the issue of plastic pollution.

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Other initiatives in Rwanda include Waste to Resources, which aims to valorize organic and plastic waste, increase the collection of electronic waste, and improve policy and regulatory environments for circular economy initiatives in the waste sector.

There is also an ongoing 14-year circular economy action plan launched in 2022, to be implemented in managing waste and adopting clean production technologies.

The streets of Kigali are filled with recycle bins, and there are regular personnel who correct waste for recycling. Recently, the city has seen a rise in e-waste correction facilities where citizens can get paid for recycling their electronics.

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According to the World Bank, humanity generates an estimated 2.24 billion tons of municipal solid waste annually, of which only 55 percent is managed in controlled facilities. By 2050, this number could rise to 3.88 billion tons per year.

The waste sector is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in urban settings and biodiversity loss. Around 931 million tons of food is wasted each year, and up to 37 million tons of plastic waste is expected to enter the ocean annually by 2040.