Ahead of World Environment Day, held on 5 June and hosted by Côte d'Ivoire, billboards featuring the key messages have been seen across New York City. 

The 2023 World Environment Day campaign #BeatPlasticPollution calls for global solutions to combat plastic pollution.

The State of New Delhi will host a three-day event from June 8 to June 10, gathering the 194 Champion schools, teachers, and students, that have completed all levels of the Tide Turners Plastic Challenge.

The 30 most successful Tide Turners mentors will put together a puppetry show on the theme of plastic pollution, while the students will host a musical performance.

The Tide Turners Plastic Challenge has reached over 450,000 youth in India in just a few years, thanks to a strong partnership with local governments. The Challenge takes the participants on a learning journey consisting of three different levels. The young people who make it to the Champion level will have gained a thorough understanding of plastic pollution, solutions to address it and are well equipped to become change-makers in their communities.  

A global effort is needed to beat plastic pollution with the problem transcending national borders. 

With only 9 per cent of plastic waste being recycled urgent change is needed.

The Reuse Portal, is an open collaborative platform providing users – whether innovators, businesses, policymakers, activists, consumers or citizens – from across the world with convenient access to practical guidance, tools and networks to take action and drive momentum for reuse solutions. It is championed by the United Nations Environment Programme, World Wildlife Fund and the World Economic Forum. 

The next three to five years present a critical window to set the world on the path towards a “systems change” to #BeatPlasticPollution.

Find out more from UNEP’s new report Turning off the Tap on what is needed to shift to a circular economy: 

The Africa Waste is Wealth Series (AWWS) will be holding a conference in Nairobi, Kenya between 6 and 8 June looking at waste generation, waste management,  policy, technology, green financing and ecosystems.

The high-level regional conference is convened by TakaTaka Ni Mali, the East African Business Council , and the Alliance for Science .

More information on the conference can be found here and tickets can be booked here .

Young leaders from the Girls Guides and Scouts in Kenya will join forces with the British High Commission in Mombasa for a beach clean-up on June 15.

The event will draw attention on the collective power of the ‘Tide Turners’, the world’s largest youth-led movement against the plastic crisis, and the crucial importance of partnerships between youth and government to scale up solutions to plastic pollution. 

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) is meeting for the second time this week. At the meeting, held in Paris, the INC will aim to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.

To learn more about what is happening in Paris read this explainer.  

Abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear, known as ‘ghost gear,’ is a global problem that severely impacts ocean health.

‘Ghost gear’ is generally made of plastic and not only pollutes the ocean but also harms marine animals. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has produced documentation to help countries with their legal responses to the issue.

Modou Fall has one aim in life, to raise awareness around water sachet pollution in Senegal.

For the full story on how single-use water sachets are contributing to plastic pollution in West Africa read this UNEP article.