17/04/2026
None of the 2 billion tonnes of waste each year our cities generate each year are accidental (a figure expected to grow by 70% by 2050).
Luckily, there is a lot that cities can do to promote a local circular economy ♻️
For decades, we’ve quietly subsidised a linear economy:
We make it cheaper to extract than to reuse, easier to discard than to repair, and more profitable to sell new than to make things last.
It’s a deliberate take → make → dispose system, one that industrialised the concept of “use once and forget.”
And yet we still talk about waste as if it’s a consumer behaviour issue, something to be solved with better recycling habits.
A circular economy flips the script entirely: it assumes waste is a design flaw, not a moral failing.
What would happen if cities adopted:
- Compact, mixed-use development → reduces resource and energy demand
- Zoning for circular industries (repair hubs, recycling clusters, eco-industrial parks)
- Adaptive reuse policies for buildings (retrofit instead of demolition)
- Mandatory waste segregation at source
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations
- Support for informal waste workers integration
- Building codes requiring recycled materials and modular construction
- Procurement rules prioritizing circular products and services
So perhaps we don’t need more responsible consumers nearly as much as we need more responsible design and policy decisions.
We must now design an economy where waste is designed out, not the default
The most effective strategies are integrated, linking circular economy with climate action, resilience, and social inclusion.
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