ICELAND

Topic of the case work is implementing circular economy and zero waste strategies into municipalities in Iceland by using the town of Hveragerði as a pilot town. 

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The case will show how all residents are a part of a chain and that this chain is only as strong as its weakest link. What that means is that low-skilled residents play just as big a part of the projects as other residents, making them appreciate their own importance. The act of decision making on a municipality level is thought of as empowering in itself, especially if these decisions will be a part of everyday life.

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The plan is to empower residents by allowing locals to participate in the design, implementation, and access to monitoring data of local waste management with the goal of creating a Zero waste plan.

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The overall goal with the circular economy and zero waste initiative is to keep material longer in the usage/production phase and eliminate valuable material from landfill or in-cremation. This will reduce overall CO2 emission from the waste category.

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By reducing waste going to landfill or in-cremation there is a reduction of CH4 and CO2 escaping into the atmosphere and at the same time, there is a reduction of chemical flow into the groundwater from landfills.

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By educating change agents about the circular economy and zero waste, the user behavior will be affected, both regarding how they buy material as well as how they manage household waste into the right recycling fraction.