Waste management systems across the world are under increasing pressure, with landfills reaching capacity and infrastructure struggling to keep pace with growing demand driven by urbanisation and rising incomes.

The new standard in waste management is fast transitioning to reduction, including refill and reuse. Upstream solutions aim to reduce waste before it’s even created by rethinking the products we use, how we use them, and how they’re made and delivered. These interventions, ranging from policy changes and product redesign to social campaigns and business model innovation have the potential to deliver lasting impact and build more circular, low-waste economies.

This challenge invites you to explore upstream strategies that have successfully reduced waste generation at scale or propose new, ambitious ideas to do so.

The Challenge

• Propose a solution: What upstream interventions could effectively reduce waste generation in your city, region, or sector? Think about policy, regulation, redesign, behaviour change, or producer responsibility.
• Share a proven solution: Have you worked on or seen a project that successfully reduced the volume of waste generated, particularly single-use or non-recyclable waste? What made it successful? What can others learn from it?

Key Criteria

When writing your response, consider the following:

• Policy frameworks: What policies have successfully discouraged unnecessary packaging or single-use items? Have bans, taxes, or incentives worked in practice?
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): How can shifting responsibility upstream, onto manufacturers or importers, drive waste reduction and better product design?
• Behaviour change: What interventions have shifted consumer habits toward reuse or refill?
• Business models: Are there innovative businesses or social enterprises that have reduced waste through deposit return schemes, product-as-a-service approaches, rental systems?

Challenge Timeline

Start Date: 13 October 2025
Submission Deadline: Ongoing

Recognition and Next Steps

Top contributors will be featured in the forum and community updates, and successful solutions may be highlighted as case studies or best practices on the WFD platform.

Get Started

Use this thread to post your ideas, ask questions, and collaborate to find practical and innovative solutions to reducing waste!