"Waste Not Asia" alliance is an alliance of Asia-Pacific Nations for promotion of Clean Production and a Zero-Waste oriented society.

On July 28, 2000, environmental activists from 12 Asia-Pacific nations launched WASTE NOT ASIA (WNA). It is the region's first alliance to oppose the expansion of waste incineration technologies and promote ecological methods of waste management. WNA has clarified that their alliance members will strive to put in place a sustainable society that will constantly endeavour to achieve a goal of zero waste through an evolving program of clean production.

The alliance is working on principles that emphasize materials recovery over materials destruction; solutions that are democratically derived and socially just; systems that are community-based and emphasize local jobs creation involving small businesses as opposed to capital-intensive corporate led interventions.

WNA is the Asian regional arm of the Global Anti Incinerator Alliance (GAIA), which was formed in Johannesburg in December 2000. From last 26th to 30th July, 2001 WNA held its second Annual Conference in Taipei, Taiwan.

This year WNA has organised a Meeting in Seoul, South Korea from 21-24 June 2004. Toxics Link is participating in the meeting, which will be inaugurated by Mr Gwak, Gyul-Ho, Minister of Environment, Korea. There will be presentations and discussions on “Extended Producer Responsibility -Holding Producers Responsible for Designing Cleaner and Safer Products: Principles and Progress to Date” and several related issues. Toxics Link would provide a resource person to undertake a Skill share on how to campaign against incinerators based on Indian experience.

The following statement was adopted by WNA. Signatories are listed at the end.
THE VISION. Waste Not Asia is a coalition of citizens' groups and individuals from Asia and the Pacific who support a commitment to:
· decentralized community-based reuse, recycling and composting programmes that promote materials recovery rather than materials destruction ;
· opposing waste landfills, incinerators and other "end-of-pipe" interventions;
· ensure that manufacturers are held responsible for designing products and packaging that are ecologically sound through every stage of their life cycle;
· eliminate persistent organic pollutants or POPs and move towards a toxic free future;
· reduce generation of waste, promote clean production, and move towards a zero waste society.
Whereas Asia is going through a period of rapid economic and industrial development patterned along the lines of the environmentally and socially destructive throwaway society and culture of over-consumption prevalent in the industrialized North;

Whereas the increasing consumption in Asia is resulting in growing mountains of garbage and other wastes which are sought to be disposed in landfills or burnt openly or in incinerators;

Whereas Asia is under siege from multinational corporations, international financial institutions, aid agencies and governments who seek to push material disposal and destruction technologies such as landfills and incinerators;

Whereas indiscriminate dumping and landfilling of unseparated waste is causing severe environmental, social and public health problems which disproportionately impact and dislocate low income neighborhoods and communities;

Whereas burning waste, with or without the recovery of energy, puts dangerous substances such as toxic metals, dioxins, furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), into the air and into the residual ash;

Whereas the United Nations Environment Program has identified dioxins, furans and PCBs as persistent organic pollutants requiring priority global action;

Whereas the poor economic and environmental track record of incinerators and landfills in industrialized and developing countries has led to intense public opposition to such technologies;

Whereas many incinerator and landfill proposals have been linked to corruption scandals and undemocratic decision-making processes;

Whereas the disposal and destruction of materials robs future generations of resources, drains local communities of finances and resources, thwarts local economic development and undermines rational approaches to waste management, and concentrates economic benefits in the hands of a few corporations;

Whereas a large informal sector in many Asian countries already exist that provides invaluable service by recovery and recycling;

Whereas incinerators, landfills and other "end-of-pipe" solutions endanger the progressive and superior alternatives that are being pioneered in communities and municipalities around Asia and detract from initiatives to reduce waste and toxics in manufacturing;

Whereas the over-reliance on "end-of-pipe" solutions encourages exploitation via the export of wastes and dirty technologies;

Whereas the investments in landfills and waste destruction technologies are saddling many nations and communities with debilitating debts and undermines poverty alleviation programs;

Whereas lending institutions and international aid and financing agencies, by bankrolling these projects, play a key role in promoting retrogressive waste destruction practices;

Whereas the production and use of unsustainable materials such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) has led to the poisoning of human health and the environment;

Whereas several disasters - such as the Payata dumpsite collapse in the Philippines and the continuing disaster of Japanese dioxin emissions - have indicated the futility of "end-of-pipe" solutions;

Whereas this chemical trespass violates women's fundamental rights to bear healthy children and to breast feed;

THEREFORE, we demand that:
Multilateral, bilateral and private aid and lending institutions like the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), USAID, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank:
· end funding for materials destruction methods, including incineration and related disposal technologies;
· cease providing secretive, distorted and biased prescriptions on waste management to governments.
The UN and affiliated bodies:
· condemn and end the promotion of incinerators and other materials destruction technologies;
Our governments:
· ban new incinerators and phase-out existing ones;
· promote materials recovery rather than materials destruction;
· support local initiatives which benefit communities rather than corporations;
· open all decisions on waste management to full public participation and transparency at every stage of the process;
· ensure waste solutions are democratically decided and socially just;
· provide avoided disposal costs to communities and businesses which divert recyclable and compostable materials from landfills;
· end hidden subsidies for landfills and incinerators;
· prioritize waste reduction at source, clean production, pollution prevention and sustainable material use;
· phase-out unsustainable materials such as PVC and other chlorinated compounds;
· support the demand for the elimination of POPs in the ongoing treaty negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Program;
· track the elimination of POPs by determining levels of dioxins and furans and other chemicals in the food chain and in mothers' breast milk on a regular basis.

Adopted by the groups which are part of WNA.