31/07/2025
💡 Waste is a problem. But it’s also a missed opportunity — especially in low-income cities where smart solutions can do double duty: protect the environment and create jobs.
Here’s how cities are tackling waste:
1️⃣ Empower communities, not just policies
Informal waste collectors keep cities running — it’s time they were formally recognised, supported, and included in planning.
2️⃣ Go small to scale big
Low-cost tech like composting units, small anaerobic digesters and micro-recycling hubs are perfect for tight budgets and big waste challenges.
3️⃣ Waste = value
Lagos and Shanghai are proof: turning trash into resources through circular economy models can generate income and cut landfill use.
4️⃣ Fix the system
Urban waste needs more than bins and trucks. It needs solid governance, strong institutions and smart coordination at every level.
5️⃣ Let nature help
Green infrastructure doesn’t just look good — it supports waste systems and buffers cities against heatwaves and floods.
6️⃣ Find the funds
Micro-financing, public-private partnerships, climate funds... innovative finance is key to making sustainable waste systems happen.
7️⃣ Data makes it work
Track it to fix it. Regular monitoring and digital tools keep waste services efficient, transparent, and accountable.
Sources:
- UN-Habitat (2020). RISE UP: Resilient Settlements for the Urban Poor.
- UN-Habitat, Tongji University, University of Lagos (2024). Urban Waste Management and Resource Utilization: Practices in Shanghai, China and Lagos, Nigeria.
- UN-Habitat (2022). Urban Planning Law for Climate Smart Cities: Urban Law Module.
- UN-Habitat (2023). The Critical Role of Nature-Based Solutions for Enhancing Climate Resilience in Informal Areas.
- UN-Habitat (2024). World Cities Report 2024: Cities and Climate Action.