Climate change can feel like a complex global issue that is difficult to influence at a local level. But in reality, zero waste offers a climate solution that is cost-effective, relatively quick to deploy, and able to deliver immediate benefits.
Reducing Organic Waste: A Local and Effective Approach
One of the most practical ways to implement zero waste is by keeping food and garden waste out of landfills. This tackles emissions directly while creating opportunities for resource recovery and composting.
What Does Organic Waste Mean for Climate?
When food and garden waste (organic waste) are sent to landfill, they are compacted and buried, cutting off oxygen. As a result, they decompose anaerobically (without oxygen) and produce methane – a powerful greenhouse gas that drives rapid warming.
Cutting methane emissions is one of the fastest ways to slow climate change, with benefits felt in the near term.
This means that keeping organic waste out of landfill is not just good waste management, it is a climate imperative.
A Local Model in Action
The Durban Zero Waste Project was started to do just this. Launched in 2021, the project began as a small, collaborative effort between groundWork, the municipality, and local stakeholders.
Starting at a single inner-city fresh produce market, the Early Morning Market, the project has expanded to the Bangladesh Market, with plans to scale further.
At its core is a simple, decentralised model: organic waste is separated at the market, composted nearby, and returned to the city to be used as a resource.
The Impact of This Work
By diverting organic waste and composting locally, the project:
- Reduces methane emissions (climate mitigation)
- Supports healthier soils and greener urban spaces (climate adaptation)
- Lowers municipal waste management costs
- Reduces pressure on landfills
- Creates opportunities for livelihoods
This model shows how localised zero waste movements can respond to both the causes and impacts of climate change.
As independent research and monitoring specialist Dr Tamlynn Fleetwood notes:
“Rethinking how we manage waste is critical. The Durban Zero Waste Project shows that practical, locally rooted solutions can be economically viable while delivering real social and environmental benefits.”
Why This Matters
Solutions like this challenge the idea that climate action must be large-scale or technologically complex.
They show that decentralised, locally embedded systems can deliver immediate climate benefits while strengthening the resilience of cities over time.
Zero waste is climate action – and it starts locally.
Acknowledgement
This article is an outcome of the Gaia Climate and Zero Waste Communicators Fellowship and reflects the work of Africa Zero Waste Hub (groundWork) in advancing organic waste diversion and composting in Durban. For more research and information, visit https://no-burn.org.
