TOWARDS A ZERO WASTE URBANISM: A MANIFESTO FOR SUSTAINABLE FUTURES

Pressing global environmental problems can be solved only by facing the social problems within society and vice versa. These crises can be approached from different perspectives. In 2016, an estimated 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste were generated and this number is increasing fast. The problem of where and how to dispose of this material is an environmental issue that is in need of a solution. This issue is prevalent in cities, which are the main site of production and consumption, as well as rapid urbanisation. Often urbanism refers to something that deals with buildings, roads, and other design elements. However, urbanism is much more, and, as theorised long ago, explores the intersection of the physical structures, the social organization, and the attitudes and ideas that are found in cities. This article considers the zero waste tradition, looking in particular to zero waste cities, and putting it in dialogue with critical traditions, in particular urban political ecology. Zero Waste Urbanism is introduced as a both a fresh perspective and a call for action, not only to design better cities but to change society and rework political systems. By making its key questions those that interrogate power, zero waste urbanism radicalizes the zero waste approach, developing new ways of exploring reality while proposing a reconstructive vision to create sustainable urban futures. In doing so, this work aims to reach both zero waste practitioners, interdisciplinary researchers, and academic activists.