UN: Impact of waste pollution on oceans, seas and rivers worsening every day

The impact of waste pollution on oceans, seas and rivers is worsening every day, Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions under the United Nations Environment Programme, said on the fourth day of the Baku Climate Action Week 2026 (BCAW 2026).

Report quotes him as saying ignoring this problem creates a vicious cycle in which people do not know where waste and wastewater ultimately end up.

"Waste is collected-which is good-but we do not see where it is taken. We also do not know where wastewater is discharged through pipelines. Shouldn't we know the answer to that question?" he said.

Payet noted that experts working in this field actually know what happens to waste after it is taken away.

"There are huge uncontrolled landfills and accumulations of waste in different parts of the world. They pollute oceans, seas and rivers, and the consequences are worsening every day," the UN official said.

In his view, raising public awareness is therefore one of the most important tasks.