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Circle Economy and ICLEI have partnered up to initiate the go to knowledge hub of case studies about the circular economy in cities. The Cities Collection is a repository of case studies that demonstrate the role of cities in the circular transition, and includes policies, business cases and research articles. Cases in the Collection flow into an ecosystem of digital products which support users in transitioning cities to circularity, for example [Ganbatte](https://ganbatte.world/cities/) and <a href="https://circulars.iclei.org/" target="_blank">ICLEI Circulars</a>, both part of the <a href="https://circulars.iclei.org/circle-lab-for-cities/" target = _blank">Circle Lab for Cities Programme.</a>

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Circular Cities

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This collection is being created to regroup all case studies related to the packaging industry (CAT purpose)

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Packaging collection

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Starter Kit collection

Policy case

Impact on the availability of resources as well as their effect on living organisms, ecosystems, and components of the environment.

Ecological Impact

Impacts on the social fabric of the community and well-being of the individuals and families.

Social Impact

Impact on the health and happiness of human populations

Well-being

Reduced green house gas emissions released into the biosphere

Reduce Emissions (SDG13)

Minimise waste through diversion: Instead of sending waste to landfill, it is redirected into other industrial processes for handling, treatment, recycling, recovery, or reuse in various forms. 

Minimise waste through design: At the outset of a process of project, plan and design such that there is zero waste or minimal waste during production, use, and at end of life. 

Minimise Waste (SDG12)

Reduced use and withdrawal of water and rate of recycling and reuse of water

Save Water (SDG6)

Contributing to the improvement of biodiversity including species diversity, total number of protected species, and ecosystem health

Biodiversity

Ensure renewable, reusable, non-toxic resources are utilised as materials and energy in an efficient way

Prioritise regenerative resources

Replace freshwater with less impactful alternatives and enact water efficiency measures

Regenerative water

Enacting measures that optimise water use

Water efficiency

'Mobilise' sets the direction of and builds momentum towards long-term change, while also determining how this direction is determined and governed.

Mobilise

Visions and Ambitions

Roadmaps and strategies and targets

Govern the Transition

Participatory governance mechanisms

 Convene Towards Action

Advocate for circular change

Voluntary agreements around circular ambitions

 Public Procurement

Asset Management

Circular use of public-owned assets (land, buildings and equipment)

Redesign systems to lay the foundation for circular activities and enable the transition to a circular economy 

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Rethink

Use longer and more often by extending and intensifying use of existing resources, products, spaces and infrastructure

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Reuse

Facilitate cross-collaboration by engaging city departments, industries and businesses on ambitious, closed-loop circular projects.

Support closed-loop systems and cross-sectoral synergies

High-level changes to policy and practice (such as taxation systems, investment and procurement guidelines and criteria) that disincentivize activities that perpetuate linear economic systems, as well as vision-setting (goals, roadmaps) to catalyze
action on circularity across the city

Eliminate linear incentives and set goals and incentives for circularity

Maintain and repair city-owned spaces and infrastructure to increase longevity, and support opportunities for residents to do the same for privately owned items and property

Support reuse, repair, remanufacturing, maintenance of existing resources, products, spaces & infrastructure

Incorporate extended use in project planning phases; create or update city policies to allow for extended use.

Design and regulate for extended use

Ensure that infrastructure and built assets in the city are designed and upgraded to be as resource-efficient as possible.

Design infrastructure and the built environment for resource efficiency

The food system nourishes populations and employs 50% of the global workforce, but:
- it currently drives a quarter of the overshoot on the climate change planetary boundary due to its greenhouse gas (GHG) production, 
- animal farming alone uses over one-quarter of all land, equivalent to the size of the Americas,
- nearly a quarter of freshwater resources are lost due to rampant food waste, and
- it is the single largest driver of biodiversity loss.

A circular food system must address the whole value chain, from production to consumption to waste management. The four key solutions for the food system are:
- Put healthier, satiating foods first: Prioritise satiating and healthy foods with a lower environmental impact—ideally shifting calories from meat, fish, and dairy towards cereals, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
- Go local, seasonal, and organic: Prioritise the production and consumption of local, seasonal, and organic produce (sometimes in combination with GMO to reduce pests and disease loss on crops), which can lead to a significantly reduced need for chemical inputs, fuels, and processing services that contribute to environmental impacts.
- Mainstream regenerative agriculture: Scale up agricultural practices that regenerate ecosystems, recirculate nutrients and sequester carbon by design. 
- End avoidable food waste: Minimise food loss and valorise waste following the food waste hierarchy along the supply chain and at the consumer level through better management of transport and storage, more refrigeration and smart planning, and technology at the consumer and food service levels.



🍏 Food Systems

Governments

Current dominant, globalized food systems trigger far-reaching detrimental socioeconomic and environmental effects. As such, they struggle to meet the food demands of a growing population and face external shocks, such as resource scarcity, climate change and health crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Local governments are directly or indirectly connected to all stages of the food value chain. For this reason, it is importanto for them to leverage this strategic position and develop an initial and collective vision, setting out transformational targets, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and key action areas and solutions urgently required to transform food systems—from food consumption and production to waste prevention and management.

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🍏  Targets and roadmaps for a circular food system

Water system refers to the water supply network for storing and supplying water for use by the community.

One of the greatest challenges of a city is to provide its inhabitants with safe, clean water from a limited fresh water supply. Improving the city’s water infrastructure efficiency, such as minimising leakages, reduces the strain put on the limited supply, which in turn, helps to ensure inhabitants gain access to clean and affordable water.

The water infrastructure of a city typically consists of components such as surface water diversions, wells, pumps, transmission pipes and canals, treatment and storage facilities, and distribution network elements (Burian et al.). Options for improving the efficiency of the system include investing in water loss reduction systems, creating and following a regular maintenance program, and better matching water supply and demand (Global Water Partnership).

Cities can improve the efficiency of their water system infrastructure by conducting a water audit, in which all water flows are traced and losses in the system are identified to map where the most efficiency improvements can be gained. Alongside this, asset management can be used to create a short-term and long-term strategy of investing in new equipment, refurbishing existing equipment and developing maintenance programmes to ensure infrastructure is as efficient as possible, and leaks are minimised. Such management programmes create financial transparency amongst all stakeholders and provide useful long-term planning for larger infrastructure changes (US EPA)

💧 Water Systems

In many industrial processes and in data centres, part of the energy input is lost as residual heat. It is possible to recover the excess heat to be used as a new source of energy. Recovering and utilising residual heat reduces the demand for additional heat generation. In turn, this reduces fuel requirements, and subsequently emissions if fossil fuels are used to generate heat.

Residual heat can be recovered via pipelines and reused again on-site, or transported to another location for another use, such as district heating which heats the homes of residents. In cases where the temperature of the recovered heat is too low, heat pumps can facilitate increasing the temperature to a more suitable temperature. 

Local governments can utilise their wide knowledge and influence to map residual heat flows and heat demand sites to help connect heat supply and demand across stakeholders in the most optimal way. As well as supplying industry with this knowledge, local governments can provide subsidies to industrial sites and data centers to help them to procure the relevant infrastructure and additional technology (e.g. heat pumps). What is more, local governments can commission the development of district heating networks.


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⚡💧  Capture and utilise residual heat

Water is not only at the core of different public services cities provide, including application and sanitation, water also acts as a carrier of nutrients and energy which can benefit other urban systems. However, Global demand for freshwater will exceed viable resources by 40% by 2030, if we continue with business as usual ([ARUP](https://www.arup.com/-/media/arup/files/publications/w/water_and_circular_economy_whitepaper.pdf)). Exploring the synergistic link between water, food and energy in urban systems becomes central to sustainable development and the sustainable management of water. Urban changemakers in all three areas should start taking a more holistic approach to water management—from water resource management, to ecosystem protection and water supply and sanitation ([UN Water](https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/water-food-and-energy/)).

Bringing circularity within the food-water-energy nexus means recognising all urban water flows—drinking water, stormwater, wastewater and source water—as potential resources for use across these three sectors. Circular water systems can maximise synergies between food water and energy systems by protecting water availability to maintain agricultural production in water scarce regions, or by recovering energy from wastewater treatment, replacing fossil fuels used for cooking or heating. Solid organic matter, or biosolids, recovered from a sewage treatment can also be used as a fertiliser, preventing harmful chemicals from polluting water streams so that water sources are clean and safe to drink.

Local governments can govern the food-water-energy nexus by looking holistically at the city’s infrastructure. They can update city plans to integrate Green Blue Infrastructure (GBI) which can provide tangible benefits to each dimension of the food-water-energy nexus. Parks, green walls, waterways and greenways can, for example, provide food, water, fibre and fuel to support the urban ecosystem. Moreover, bringing different actors together, from the department of water resources, food safety, as well as energy and planning, is at the heart of any form of integrated planning. To spur cross-sectoral collaboration, for instance, cities can convene different actors on dedicated platforms and facilitate effective communication between different city departments and public organisations. Embedding a nexus strategy in municipal policy may lay a foundation for cross departmental budgeting and program implementation.


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💧 🍏 ⚡  Supporting solutions that maximise synergies between food water and energy systems

One of the greatest challenges of a city is to provide its inhabitants with safe, clean water from a limited fresh water supply. Improving the city’s water infrastructure efficiency, such as minimising leakages, reduces the strain put on the limited supply, which in turn, helps to ensure inhabitants gain access to clean and affordable water.

The water infrastructure of a city typically consists of components such as surface water diversions, wells, pumps, transmission pipes and canals, treatment and storage facilities, and distribution network elements ([Burian et al.](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123847034005098)). Options for improving the efficiency of the system include investing in water loss reduction systems, creating and following a regular maintenance program, and better matching water supply and demand ([Global Water Partnership](http://www.cawater-info.net/policybriefs/pdf/tec_brief_4_water_efficiency.pdf)).

Cities can improve the efficiency of their water system infrastructure by conducting a water audit, in which all water flows are traced and losses in the system are identified to map where the most efficiency improvements can be gained. Alongside this, asset management can be used to create a short-term and long-term strategy of investing in new equipment, refurbishing existing equipment and developing maintenance programmes to ensure infrastructure is as efficient as possible, and leaks are minimised. Such management programmes create financial transparency amongst all stakeholders and provide useful long-term planning for larger infrastructure changes ([US EPA](https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-water-infrastructure/things-local-officials-should-do-sustainable-water-infrastructure)).

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💧  Improving water infrastructure efficiency

The water consumed by households must be of a sufficiently good quality to safely drink, bathe and clean with. However, the quality of water required for each of these needs differs significantly. For example, potable or drinking water must be of a higher quality than the water used to flush a toilet or irrigate a garden (so called “greywater”).  It is possible to significantly reduce our overall water consumption by using and reusing non-potable water sources for lower quality purposes—a strategy particularly relevant for drought-stressed cities.

Greywater reuse systems can be applied at household level to collect water from showers and baths, filter and treat it, and then recirculate it to flush toilets or irrigate gardens. Alternatively, a sports centre can collect greywater from showers and hand basins and process it to be used to irrigate an adjacent sports field or community garden.

Cities can encourage the uptake of greywater reuse systems through awareness campaigns, regulations and financial incentives. Awareness campaigns can show the potential environmental and financial benefits of installing greywater systems. Regulations can be in the form of building codes and requirements in which the installation of a grey water reuse system is compulsory, unless practically infeasible. Financial incentives are usually in the form of rebates for installing such a system. Municipal governments can also lead by example and procure such greywater reuse systems in municipal or city-run buildings, such as municipal offices or schools. This can not only improve the water-efficiency of such buildings, but can also showcase the benefits of the systems, and support local market demand.



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💧  Grey-water reuse systems

Regenerate strategies phase out hazardous or toxic materials and processes and substitute them with regenerative biomass resources. A circular economy aims to mimic natural cycles—by shifting to more regenerative farming practices, for example—while also maximising the share of circular biomass that enters the economy. Regeneration can happen both at the systems level (by designing regenerative processes) as well as at the product level (by switching synthetic to organic fertilisers, for example).

Regenerate

Impacts

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A framework of policy instruments that enabled and encourage the transition to the circular economy

Policy Instruments

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A framework of policy instruments that enable and stimulate the transition to the circular economy

The principles of a circular economy concern designing out waste, regenerating ecosystems and keeping items in use. Decoupling the economy from material flows—improving the rate of resource productivity faster than the economic growth rate—is also a consistent guide. By evolving with the growing number of applications of circular economy principles, and consolidating these strategies across thematic areas, Circle Economy’s Key Elements Framework (KE) renders the elements of the circular economy salient and serves as a basis to derive contextual strategies and interventions. 


The Framework consists of:
- Core Elements: Activities directly handling product or material flows; and uniquely,
- Enabling Elements: those that remove obstacles for core actors.


Key elements of the circular economy

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Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

The Circular City Actions Framework provides urban changemakers with five complementary strategies they can use to start working towards a more circular system. 

The framework is action-based to provide users with concrete strategic directions and showcase the desired outcomes of each strategy. 
The framework consists of five complementary **strategies**, under which **sub-strategies** provide further detail. Finally, each sub-strategy consists of a diversity of tangible **solutions** which are framed in relation to key thematic areas. 

Note: solutions are currently focused on:
- 🍏 **Food systems**
- 🏢  **Built environment**
- 👕📱  **Consumer goods**
- ⚡ **Energy Systems**
- 🚌 **Mobility Systems**
- 💧 **Water Systems**

More thematic areas are coming soon...

'Click through each of the five strategy cards below to explore the framework and circular economy case studies in more depth!'



This framework was developed in collaboration with ICLEI, Metabolic and Ellen MacArthur Foundation with support from the MAVA Foundation. Read more about it [here]( https://circulars.iclei.org/action-framework/). 



Circular City Actions Framework

An action-based framework for local governments working towards circular cities

Thematic Areas

City Stakeholders

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Based on the work of [Bocken et al. (2016)](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309699661_Product_design_and_business_model_strategies_for_a_circular_economy), the Four Flows Framework serves as a simple framework for managing resource flows in a circular economy by using less (Narrow), using for longer (Slow), using again (Cycle), and using clean, regenerative materials and energy (Regenerate).

These different principles of circular economy can be applied to our socioeconomic metabolism: we can design stocks like buildings, infrastructure, machinery, and vehicles to be rich resource mines for the future, and design manufactured goods and consumables to be cycled and made regenerative. Furthermore, the focus must also centre on getting more value out of fewer materials. Achieving the aims of a circular economy—minimising material use, regenerating the Earth, and preventing material losses—can be done through these four key strategies mentioned above.

Source: Circle Economy. (2023). *[The circularity gap report 2023](https://www.circularity-gap.world/2023)* (p.22). Amsterdam: Circle Economy. 

Four Flows Framework

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  The Czech capital of Prague has fast become a trailblazer in establishing a local circular economy. Circle Economy’s ‘Circle Scan’ analysed the material flows, GHG emissions and value generation of Prague’s economy to set priorities and measure the scale of issues. Besides the Circle Scan, political endorsement and stakeholder management was instrumental in embedding the circular economy into daily decision-making processes. 

 Lying at the heart of Europe is a city otherwise known as the City of a Hundred Spires, renowned for its abundance of gothic architecture and UNESCO world heritage stamp. But one thing you may not know about the Czech capital of Prague is that it has fast become a trailblazer in establishing a local circular economy. 

 Cities are the consumption centres of the world: hotspots of resource use and global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. They’re also rapidly growing – Prague’s population alone has jumped by 11% in the past 40 years. The circular economy, with its suite of strategies suitable for urban policymakers, can deliver substantial climate mitigation opportunities, social benefits and economic opportunities.
  Today, Prague boasts a population of nearly 1.5 million and an economy that has swapped industrialism for a high-tech, trade and services-oriented character. To tap into the momentum its new service-economy offers, while addressing urban challenges, supporting nature and securing social benefits, the city has placed the circular economy at the heart of its city planning and climate mitigation ambitions. 

 To support this goal, in 2019 the Amsterdam-based impact organization Circle Economy, in collaboration with the local NGO INCIEN and the City of Prague, analysed the material flows, GHG emissions and value generation of Prague’s economy. Their goal? To provide the city with action plans for key industries to embed the circular economy into their practices. Two years have passed since the ‘Circle Scan’ and the circular transition in Prague is well underway.

 “The Circle Scan helped us set priorities and measure the scale and issues of what we were dealing with. This allowed us to focus on what matters. So, we’re not just focusing on plastic straws, but on larger flows like closing the biomass loop, or looking at our tonnes of construction and demolition waste. There are so many bigger problems – and opportunities,” Petr Hlubuček, deputy mayor of Prague for the environment.

 A second life for the city’s bulky waste

 Each year, Prague households consume approximately 307,000 tonnes of non-food products. Of this, nearly 10% is bulky waste – materials or items too large for household waste, such as electrical goods, appliances and furniture – which are destined for landfill. And as the average household income has risen, so has the level of tossed bulky waste. The Circle Scan identified the potential to reuse 70% of this, giving furniture and appliances a second life and reducing the overall demands for brand new products.

 Bringing to life the action plan laid out in the Circle Scan, Prague now touts a growing network of Re-Use Points throughout the city: cashing in on the value this ‘waste’ provides when the circular strategies of reuse, refurbish and repair are utilised. In only half a year of the pilot being active, nearly 2,000 pre-loved items were processed: the equivalent of 14 tonnes. These reuse points have been integrated into collection yards – so far, three out of the 19 in the city – and upgraded to feel vibrant and accessible for all citizens. Praguers can drop off their unwanted yet still-functional furniture, sports equipment or appliances, amongst other items, which are then uploaded to an online portal and can be collected for free by residents, NGOs and charities. 

 The city also plans to recreate a Reuse shopping centre – a reuse wonderland where everything sold is second-hand or repaired. Watch this space, notes Hlubuček.
      A material flow analysis from the Circle Scan that shows the material flows through households in Prague.   Image: Circle Economy      Swapping in food waste for fertiliser and biogas

 The Circle Scan pinpointed a major waste stream in the Czech capital with huge untapped potential: food waste. In Prague, households consume more than 950,000 tonnes of food each year – with roughly 100,000 tonnes of domestic food and kitchen waste entering low-value recycling streams such as being burned for energy. In an ideal circular city, material flows would be collected separately to retain their value at the highest level for as long as possible – food waste can be returned to the soil as organic fertiliser or converted to biogas, for example. 

 To use its tonnes of food waste as a resource, Prague set the ambitious goal of separating 70% of municipal waste at the source by 2035; current separation rates stand at 31%. To start, it became the first Czech city to implement household food waste collection. This is currently in the pilot phase in three districts and hopes to be city-wide by 2026. 

 The collected food waste is converted into biogas and used to power waste management trucks. With the instalment of a large bioCNG plant planned, the city hopes to see the entire fleet of waste management trucks powered by household food waste in the future, utilising waste as a resource and cutting GHG emissions (the trucks release 58% fewer pollutants into the atmosphere than diesel-fuelled trucks). 

 Also, excess energy will be pumped back into the grid and excess waste transformed into fertiliser for local agricultural projects. The city also targets minimising consumer food waste habits: waste prevention is touted by city billboards, urging residents to “buy only what you eat”, and environmental campaigns are integrated into schools.
      The action plan laid out in the Circle Scan: how to turn waste biomass into bioCNG.   Image: Circular Economy      Only organic farming for acres of city-land

 Given that 80% of all food is expected to be consumed in cities by 2050, operating in a circular manner where food production regenerates rather than denigrates and where food waste is designed out can bring massive environmental benefits. Current farming practices across Europe can be GHG emissions-intensive, contribute to a loss of grassland biodiversity and use dangerous pesticides, which can also result in pollution leaking out into water supplies. In Prague, the City Scan identified that agricultural and material extraction alone were responsible for 234,360 tonnes of GHG emissions a year.

 We’ve already seen how Prague is tackling household food waste, but it’s also innovating with a circular procurement strategy to regenerate ecosystems and provide healthy food for the locality on city-owned land. 

 The city owns 1,650 hectares of agricultural land – currently, 500 hectares of this is leased to farmers – yet it comes with a sustainable catch. Farmers must follow organic and circular agricultural principles, namely: no pesticides, no fungicides, use of organic fertilisers and respecting crop rotation. Engaging with farmers and giving priority to organic and circular practices is a strong avenue for cities to take in moving to a circular food system. Co-benefits of the practice can include diversifying a city’s food supply, fostering biodiversity, reducing packaging needs and shortening supply chains.
    sustainability What is the World Economic Forum doing about the circular economy?    The World Economic Forum has created a series of initiatives to promote circularity. 1. Scale360° Playbook was designed to build lasting ecosystems for the circular economy and help solutions scale.
      Scale360° Playbook Journey   Image: Scale360° Playbook      Its unique hub-based approach - launched this September - is designed to prioritize circular innovation while fostering communities that allow innovators from around the world to share ideas and solutions. Emerging innovators from around the world can connect and work together ideas and solutions through the UpLink, the Forum's open innovation platform.

 Discover how the Scale360° Playbook can drive circular innovation in your community.
  2. A new Circular Cars Initiative (CCI) embodies an ambition for a more circular automotive industry. It represents a coalition of more than 60 automakers, suppliers, research institutions, NGOs and international organizations committed to realizing this near-term ambition.

 CCI has recently released a new series of circularity “roadmaps”, developed in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), McKinsey & Co. and Accenture Strategy. These reports explain the specifics of this new circular transition.Connect to Learn More →

 3. The World Economic Forum’s Accelerating Digital Traceability for Sustainable Production initiative brings together manufacturers, suppliers, consumers and regulators to jointly establish solutions and provide a supporting ecosystem to increase supply chain visibility and accelerate sustainability and circularity across manufacturing and production sectors. Connect to Learn More →
   
 A clear circular strategy for the win

 In only three years, Prague has become a regional leader in circular innovation. This successful journey has been a result of various factors. Besides the Circle Scan, top political endorsement and stakeholder management has been instrumental: with a dedicated committee and steering group for circular economy, the circular economy has been embedded into the daily decision-making processes of the city. 

 For many cities with sustainable and circular ambitions, knowing where to start can be the biggest barrier. While there may be experts on circular activities taking place, a holistic overview of a city’s overall resource consumption and waste patterns is often lacking. This type of high-level view of the interconnected systems can support the city in locating priority challenges and opportunities. Involving diverse stakeholders is also key, and understanding how they can contribute to a more circular city. 

 “The magic of the Circle Scan is giving the space and energy needed to get relevant stakeholders aligned around the topic of the circular economy, and to identify the business case for the city and turn it into reality,” says Vojtech Voseky, chairman of the circular economy steering group in the city. 

 “This has happened in Prague and kickstarted all these pilots,” he adds.
 


Prague will prepare dozens of projects to help develop the circular economy. It will focus on recycling construction and household waste, using rainwater or supporting urban agriculture. This follows a strategy approved by city councilors last night.
The Prague leadership has already adopted the city’s strategy for climate change, which has been criticized by the opposition ODS and YES. The basis of the circular economy, or circular economy, is to minimize the generation of waste, and once waste is generated, it is converted into resources.
According to Deputy Mayor Petr Hlubuček (STAN), the document is based on a climate plan and includes 73 measures to help meet the carbon neutrality commitment. According to the climate plan approved last year, the management of the metropolis wants to achieve this in 2050. The measures are divided into four thematic areas – construction, water management, agriculture and waste.
Marcela Plesníková, a representative of the YES opposition movement, criticized waste management. According to her, the prospect of increasing the amount of sorted waste is unrealistic. “Simply put, anyone willing to sort waste already sorts it,” she said.
In construction, according to the document, the city was to create, for example, a material bank, where builders could find information about usable material that would otherwise become waste. According to the document, the city should also support sustainable construction in its public procurement.
According to the strategy, the city wants to implement measures in water management to save water and prevent water leaks, use rainwater for irrigation or use residual heat from wastewater for heating. In agriculture and food, the document talks about supporting urban and suburban organic farming, for example by using their products in school canteens or creating a city production farm.
In waste management, the document sets a goal of sorting and processing 60 percent of biodegradable municipal waste within four years, which it subsequently used, among other things, at the planned station. According to the document, there should also be an increase in the so-called re-use centers for people who would dump. According to Hlubučka, the city also wants to renew the “Iron Sunday”, ie the regular collection of metal waste.
The strategy follows the city’s climate strategy, which was approved by representatives at the end of last May. According to her, the city should invest about 230 billion crowns in 69 measures aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. The municipality wants to get most of the necessary money from European funds. The plan was not supported by the opposition ODS and YES, according to their representatives it is unrealistic and insufficiently prepared. (CTK)


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Prague

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Municipality of Prague

The city of Prague has started to place the circular economy at the heart of its city planning and climate mitigation ambitions, delivering substantial climate mitigation opportunities, social benefits, and economic opportunities.

Prague’s circular economy strategy focuses on water as 4 main intervention areas 

Bringing to life the action plan laid out in the Circle Scan, Prague has developed a growing network of Re-Use Points throughout the city, where circular strategies of reuse, refurbish and repair are utilised. In only half a year of the pilot being active, nearly 2,000 used items were processed: the equivalent of 14 tonnes. The reuse points are integrated into three collection yards and upgraded to be accessible for all citizens. Praguers can drop off their unwanted yet still-functional furniture, sports equipment or appliances, amongst other items, which are then uploaded to an online portal and can be collected for free by residents, NGOs and charities.

Reuse points in Prague

Prague became the first Czech city to implement household food waste collection. To use its food waste as a resource, Prague set the ambitious goal of separating 70% of municipal waste at the source by 2035; current separation rates stand at 31%. This is currently in the pilot phase in three districts and hopes to be city-wide by 2026.The collected food waste is converted into biogas and used to power waste management trucks. Excess energy will be pumped back into the grid and excess waste transformed into fertiliser for local agricultural projects. The city also targets minimising consumer food waste habits: waste prevention is touted by city billboards, urging residents to “buy only what you eat”, and environmental campaigns are integrated into schools.

Converting food waste into biogas and fertiliser in Prague

Prague launched a pilot project for organic urban agriculture, by offering 398 hectares of its agricultural land for rent under organic farming conditions. According to the city, organic farming not only allows to produce quality food, but it also maintains and develops the natural diversity of the landscape and emphasizes the preservation of natural cycles. It is also one of the ways to combat drought and climate change and, because of the absence of synthetic chemical pesticides in the soil, also to protect water resources.