Urban circular economy
Circular economy aims to keep resources in use for as long as possible, to extract maximum economic value from them whilst in use and keeping materials out of landfills and incinerators, and to minimize waste by recovering and regenerating products and materials at the end of their service life. Yet, the development, implementation and scaling up of these solutions remain challenging amidst a global fast-track model of linear production, consumption and disposal. Local innovations can play an essential role in the circular economy. City and community innovations stemming from traditional local knowledge as well as from the application of modern science and technology, awareness raising, and advocacy are having tremendous, positive impacts. Many UNDP projects focus on working with various stakeholders, including local authorities, private sector, non-profits, women, youth, and people with disabilities.
