Dear friends and colleagues,

In this month’s newsletter we share some of the key victories of BFFP members, made more special in the face of adversity. The COVID-19 pandemic rages on with newer variants of the virus emerging in different parts of the world. Even as the pandemic is far from abating, we are confronted with everything from apathy to utter mismanagement, the impacts of which communities will grapple with for months and years to come. 

The pandemic has adversely affected the key wins achieved by the movement - from roll back of SUP bans and mandatory source segregation to unnecessarily classifying waste as infectious. In response, we are seeing members across the Asia Pacific region recalibrating their strategies to counter the industry push for SUPs in all spheres. One coordinated project of BFFP members seeks to gather evidence on single use plastic waste in healthcare that does not qualify as infectious, and thus should be replaced with reusables. In other efforts, we see members advocate against transboundary waste movement, and false solutions such as incineration or waste to energy. As always, we are inspired by the efforts of each member, and celebrate the power of the collective. 

In solidarity,

Satyarupa Shekhar

Coordinator - BFFP Asia Pacific