# COP31 puts waste prevention and resource recovery in focus

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/how-cutting-waste-became-a-global-priority/
- Published: 2026-11-13T09:08:32+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-13T09:33:58+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16272589/How-cutting-waste-global-priority.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Climate, Science, World

## Key points

- Waste prevention is among COP31’s ten priority themes.
- Global municipal waste could reach 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050.
- Türkiye aims to raise its waste recovery rate to 60 per cent by 2035.

## Summary

COP31 organisers have made zero waste one of the conference’s ten priority themes, bringing waste prevention and resource recovery into discussions alongside energy and climate finance. The focus matters because waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, while the global amount of municipal waste could rise sharply in coming decades.

Talks scheduled for 11 November will cover waste prevention, resource recovery, methane and the circular economy, which seeks to keep materials in use through repair, reuse and recycling. UNEP estimates the world produces about 2.1 billion tonnes of municipal waste annually, potentially increasing to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050; in 2022, food waste reached about 1.05 billion tonnes, with households responsible for 60 per cent. Türkiye’s waste recovery rate rose from 13 per cent in 2017 to 37.53 per cent in 2025, and its government aims for 60 per cent by 2035.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.