Role of local governments and households in low-waste city transitions

Abstract

Local governments are placing greater requirements on households to sort and reduce their waste. The research draws on experimental governance scholarship to explore the transformative capacity of local government in low waste sustainability transitions and how this is given form through engaging households in new waste management initiatives. Australia, a high-income county with one of the highest per-capita rates of waste generation globally, faces significant challenges for low waste city transitions. We conducted a desktop review of local government waste initiatives across Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane, and recorded interviews with nine waste managers. While the traditional service provider role remains important, municipalities are introducing new ways of addressing the waste problem that rely on actions by other parties, including households. Roles of promoter, enabler and partner are employed to experiment with new initiatives. The promoter role is an important initial stage, but the enabler and partner roles have most potential to orchestrate households as active innovation and change agents in low waste transitions and contribute to broader shifts in social norms and practices.