Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives

GLOBAL PROGRAMS: GAIAs movement-building network model empowered members to build their own capacity, facilitated international solidarity, and coordinated collective research and initiatives around the issues of waste, pollution, climate and the environment, building critical linkages at local, regional and global levels. Zero Waste: Zero Waste Month activities in January 2025 engaged more than 46,000 people, 104 organizations, 92 cities, and 20 countries in efforts to advance real solutions together, with 72 schools integrating zero waste learning while 86 government entities engaged in meaningful dialogue and commitments. GAIA facilitated member engagement, capacity building and cross-programmatic and cross-regional learning through a variety of international and regional webinars and events. Notably, GAIA and member Nipe Fagio organized the International Zero Waste Cities Conference in Tanzania in July 2024, the first time this event was held in Africa.Climate: GAIA increased awareness of zero waste as a strategy for reducing methane emissions from landfills through improved organic waste management, organizing a Methane and Justice Summit to foster deeper alignment among GAIA members and key leaders at local, national, and international levels, yielding tangible commitments from an increasing number of government representatives, civil society organizations, and key partners. In October 2024, GAIA Asia Pacific organized the First Congress on Organics and Climate, with over 200 participants attending in person and more than 1,400 joining online. GAIA brought a 35-member delegation to COP29, and remains deeply engaged in the LOW Methane initiative, leading or co-leading (with members) LOW-M coordination of activities in 13 jurisdictions. GAIA Africa supported work in 11 countries on reducing methane through better organics management. Plastics: In work toward a global plastics treaty, GAIA has always understood that the treaty negotiations are a vehicle to galvanize action on plastics, and we and our members have maintained and built on regional and cross-regional coordination of members. At INC-4 and INC-5 negotiating sessions, we coordinated delegations of 70+ civil society participants from 30 countries. Our delegations built on the extensive efforts of regional working groups. We released a range of briefing papers and other resources, as well as contributing to significant academic articles related to plastic pollution issues. At INC-4, our robust communications efforts secured over 200 media mentions with a reach of 404 million. At INC-5, we secured over 220 media mentions with a reach of up to 2.22 billion.Waste Incineration: GAIA continued to support global information-sharing and solidarity around ending wasteful and polluting waste incineration, with notable work addressing incinerators and incinerator proposals in Brazil, Canada, Chile, India, Nigeria, the Philippines, and the U.S. During 2024, GAIA helped to mobilize and support civil society from multiple regions in strong advocacy around the Asian Development Banks draft Environmental and Social Framework, in the context of its role in supporting waste incineration projects. We also held a webinar, Rethinking Waste-to-Energy Investments: Economic Considerations for Policymakers highlighting the costs of incineration across the Asia-Pacific region in January 2025.Batteries Lifecycle: Both in the U.S. and globally, GAIA has helped to shape the conversation to address lifecycle issues of batteries that are playing an increasing role in energy transition, through webinars and brief publications addressing key issues.

UNITED STATES/CANADA REGIONAL WORK: GAIA supported members across the U.S. and Canada through technical support, regranting (including both larger grants and microgrants), skill-building and networking to challenge waste incineration and advance zero waste solutions with notable successes. Our Failing Incinerators Project, a multi-year cohort program aimed at building grassroots capacity to advocate for replacing aging incinerators across the U.S. with effective zero waste systems, celebrated two more incinerator closures (one led by a cohort member in Oregon and the other by a cohort affiliate in California). Another cohort member successfully advocated to change Maryland state policy so that incinerators could not qualify for state renewable energy tax credits. GAIA co-created a mini-documentary on another cohort member city, Breathing Free: Detroits Journey to Zero Waste, which launched in January 2025. As we wound down the Failing Incinerators Project, GAIA advanced new cohort work, seizing the energy of the Methane Moment to focus on organic waste management as a critical part of both zero waste and climate work. We supported frontline communities facing waste incineration proposals (including a new push from Canadas federal government) and questionable EV battery recycling facilities. We also raised concerns regarding proposed state and federal policies that could increase pollution or reduce oversight.