Community-Based Waste Management Initiatives as Means to Achieve Circular Economy Objectives for Sustainable Development

The Circular Economy (CE) is promoted as a practice and policy that offers a new perspective to achieve Sustainable Development (SD) so as to respond to the complex challenges facing societies in times of climate crisis. The current way of implementing CE promises to address environmental degradation according to the economic growth-oriented paradigm (“weak” approach). Critics claim that CE cannot deliver on its promises unless all three dimensions of SD (economic, environmental and social) are integrated into CE implementation (“strong” approach). Therefore, changes should be attempted to shift the paradigm in CE implementation through alternative socio-economic organizational patterns. This literature review sheds light on active community engagement as a factor that offers holistically sustainable pathways to CE implementation. The Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) can provide a practical framework for mobilizing several community actors in this direction. Cooperatives, as core members of SSE, contribute to the inclusive participation of all community stakeholders by building a web of interactions and connections. In this context, the establishment of local community cooperatives is proposed to empower community members to manage their common resources in accordance with the CE objectives for SD.