Transparency
Source register
Sources on file
11
This is the one number on the site that is not zero, because the register exists before the research does. It is the foundation everything else gets built on.
How claims are labelled
Six kinds of statement appear on this site, and they are never blended together. The label travels with the claim wherever it is shown.
- FACTVerified fact. Published by a named source, with date and link. Check it yourself.
- OBSERVEDField observation. Seen and recorded by Circular Journey during a research visit.
- OPINIONExpert opinion. The view of a named individual, not a finding of this research.
- ANALYSISCircular Journey analysis. Our own interpretation, drawn from the evidence cited alongside it.
- PROPOSALIndia adaptation idea. A proposal for Indian conditions. Untested until a pilot says otherwise.
- GOALFuture vision. A stated intention for a future year. Not a description of today.
The rules are set out in full in the methodology. Only the first of those six requires a source from this register; the others carry different obligations, which the content system enforces.
Intergovernmental6
What a Waste 2.0: A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050
World Bank · 2018 · link checked 2026-09
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/30317Methodology: Compiles national and municipal solid waste statistics reported by governments, with modelled estimates where national reporting is absent.
Caveat: Country data vary widely in quality and vintage. The report itself notes that many low-income countries lack systematic measurement, so cross-country comparison should be treated as indicative rather than precise.
Global Waste Management Outlook 2024: Beyond an Age of Waste
United Nations Environment Programme · 2024 · link checked 2026-09
https://www.unep.org/resources/global-waste-management-outlook-2024Methodology: Scenario modelling of municipal solid waste generation and management costs to 2050, building on national reporting and the 2015 Outlook.
Caveat: Projections are scenario-based. They describe what follows from stated assumptions, not a forecast of what will happen.
State of the Global Climate 2025
World Meteorological Organization · 2026 · link checked 2026-09
https://wmo.int/publication-series/state-of-global-climate/state-of-global-climate-2025Methodology: Consolidates six international datasets of global mean near-surface temperature, together with ocean heat content, sea level, sea ice and greenhouse gas observations, against the 1850-1900 pre-industrial baseline.
Caveat: Datasets differ slightly, which is why WMO reports 2025 as the second or third warmest year rather than fixing a rank. A single year is weather as well as climate: 2025 was cooler than 2024 because of La Nina, and that is not evidence of a trend reversing.
WMO Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update 2026-2035
World Meteorological Organization · 2026 · link checked 2026-09
https://wmo.int/resources/publication-series/wmo-global-annual-decadal-climate-update/global-annual-decadal-climate-update-2026-2035Methodology: An ensemble prediction led by the UK Met Office as WMO Lead Centre, combining forecasts from climate prediction centres worldwide to give probabilities rather than single figures.
Caveat: A single year above 1.5C is not a breach of the Paris Agreement, which is defined on a long-term average of roughly twenty years. WMO states this explicitly, and the distinction is routinely lost in reporting.
The Global E-waste Monitor 2024
International Telecommunication Union and UNITAR · 2024 · link checked 2026-09
https://ewastemonitor.info/Methodology: Estimates electronic waste generation and documented collection and recycling rates by country, using product put-on-market data and lifespan modelling.
Caveat: Documented collection rates capture formal channels. Material handled by the informal sector is substantially undercounted in most countries.
Sustainable Development Goals indicator database
United Nations Statistics Division · 2024 · link checked 2026-09
https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportalMethodology: Official country reporting against the global SDG indicator framework.
Caveat: Country coverage for waste and material-footprint indicators is uneven, and reporting years differ between countries.
NGO3
The Circularity Gap Report 2024
Circle Economy Foundation · 2024 · link checked 2026-09
https://www.circularity-gap.world/2024Methodology: Estimates the share of secondary materials cycled back into the global economy, using global material flow accounting.
Caveat: The headline circularity metric is a single global ratio derived from material flow accounts. It is useful as a direction of travel and poor as a country scorecard.
The Circularity Gap Report 2026: The Value Gap
Circle Economy Foundation · 2026 · link checked 2026-09
https://circularity-gap.world/Methodology: Estimates the share of material inputs to the global economy that come from recovered rather than virgin sources, using national material flow accounts.
Caveat: A single global percentage compresses very different national economies into one number, and the metric counts material mass rather than the value or impact of what is circulated. The direction of travel is the more reliable signal than the figure itself.
The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics
Ellen MacArthur Foundation · 2016 · link checked 2026-09
https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/the-new-plastics-economy-rethinking-the-future-of-plasticsCaveat: An influential framing document rather than a primary statistical source. Figures it popularised should be traced to their underlying studies before being relied upon.
Government2
Annual Report on Implementation of Solid Waste Management Rules
Central Pollution Control Board, Government of India · 2024 · link checked 2026-09
https://cpcb.nic.in/Methodology: Compiles waste generation, collection, treatment and landfilling figures submitted by State Pollution Control Boards.
Caveat: Figures are self-reported by states and the report notes gaps and inconsistencies in submission. Treat state-level comparisons with care.
Viksit Bharat 2047: national vision documents and official communications
NITI Aayog, Government of India · 2024 · link checked 2026-09
https://www.niti.gov.in/Caveat: Cited only to describe the stated national vision. Circular Journey is independent of this programme and cites it as context, not as endorsement.
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If a source here is misrepresented, out of date, or says something different from what we claim it says, please tell us. Corrections are made on the page with a note recording what changed, rather than edited silently.