From linear to circular: Empowering communities though participation in waste management – Insights from Southeast Asia and Scandinavia

Abstract

This article argues that participatory approaches are essential for transitioning the waste sector from a linear to a circular paradigm. This transition involves reinterpreting waste as a resource and emphasises critical strategies for waste prevention and reduction of use – a shift that calls for real-life examples involving local communities in waste management. The article unfolds exemplary cases from Southeast Asian and Scandinavia to understand how new participatory cases in waste management are established, anchored and supported. To facilitate such waste management innovation, the article introduces theories on participation and empowerment, explores various participatory approaches to empowering stakeholders in the waste sector, and discusses the possibilities for and constraints on citizen and stakeholder participation in waste management. The findings indicate that empowerment – encompassing values such as care, respect, critical thinking and local resource control – introduces a sustainability dimension to waste management, sparking potential for future advancements. The cases examined illustrate the pivotal role that universities and public sector waste companies can assume in promoting dynamic circular pilot projects at the local level. The flexibility of local governance structures appears to play a significant role in the cases explored, underscoring the need to balance local adaptability and national frameworks to foster meaningful progress towards circular waste management practices. Future studies could explore how critical strategies focused on waste prevention and reduction of use can reinforce the transition towards interpreting waste as a resource.