Management of waste begins at home: Minister Joshi

Bhanubhakta Joshi, Minister of Federal Affairs and General Administration, has stated that the country is dealing with a serious waste management issue and that management should begin at home.

He said, “The source of waste is the home, and if we manage it properly at home, there will be no issues with waste management.”

Minister Joshi, while addressing the National Conference and Exhibition on Waste Management and Circular Economy on Monday, which is scheduled for two-day days on June 3-4 conference organized on the occasion of World Environment Day.

He expressed his belief that the two-day conference will provide the government with advice and pressure on what kind of waste management policies and rules are appropriate.

Similarly, Aanand Mishra, the founder and President of CREASION Nepal, stated, “The issue of waste management is of primary concern to the entire humanity, and we should avoid futile discussions and move toward concrete implementation of waste management plans and policies.”

“A consolidated approach is required for environmental protection and waste management. It will be simple to work against garbage management if all the stakeholders, from government sector to private sector and media, collaborate together to address it,” he added.

Parallel to the program, CREASION Nepal organized significant panel discussion sessions, which focused on “Investment from Bilateral and Multilateral agencies in waste management” and “Critical role of media in Addressing Waste Management Issues in Nepal.”

In the first session, representatives from the World Bank, including Abebaw Alemayehu, Senior Urban Specialist, Anu Joshi Shrestha, Enterprise and Value Chain Development Specialist, ICIMOD, Dharma Swarnakar, Economic Advisor, UNDP Nepal, Bhushan Tuladhar, Chief of Party, USAID Clean Air, Fhi 360, and Maya Tamang from (Samyukta Safai Jagaran) SASAJA, highlighted the investment in the waste management sector.

Similarly, during the second session, Gunaraj Luitel, Editor-in-Chief of Nagarik Daily, Bimal Gautam, Editor-in-Chief of Lokantar.com, and Sonia Awale, Executive Editor of Nepali Times, Roshani Adhikari, president of the Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ), shed light on how the media is raising the issue of waste management.