Geneva Toxic Free Talks: “Time to hold polluters accountable”
At this year’s Geneva Toxic Free Talks, on the 21st and the 22nd of September, our executive director Sascha Gabizon spoke about the impact of plastic waste export streams from the global north to the global south.
This year’s Toxic Free Talks were held over two days of conferences and discussions on the side-lines of the 51st regular session of the Human Rights Council, marking the 25th anniversary of the mandate and the struggle for the right to live in a toxic-free environment.
Sacha addressed the necessity to stop the toxic waste streams from the global north to the global south, and to end the double standards with which highly hazardous chemicals are dumped on the global south. The plastic waste, labelled “primary material for recycling”, is exported to the global south with the argumentation that it creates job opportunities. However, instead, the waste stream is causing an immense humanitarian problem.
Plastic recycling initiatives make the waste workers operate in dangerous conditions where they are constantly exposed to toxic chemicals from, for example, the melting process of the plastic. Within these waste hotspots, people are constantly inhaling polluted air and eating polluted food.
The pollution is huge, and the progress is slow.
It is time to hold the polluters accountable.
Watch the whole session, including Sacha’s talk here:
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