Global South cities are embedding climate action into waste systems
13 cities are committing to citywide collection, organic waste treatment, and emissions reductions by 2030
Waste represents up to 35% of city emissions in some Global South cities[1], making it one of their largest climate challenges. Many cities lack the collection systems, treatment facilities, and sanitary landfills that would prevent methane release and protect communities from pollution.
This infrastructure gap creates opportunity. Global South cities can build climate-smart systems from the ground up, creating jobs in recycling and composting while protecting communities most at risk from both waste-related pollution and climate impacts.
The C40 Sustainable Waste Systems Accelerator unites 13 Global South cities to close infrastructure gaps while cutting emissions. By joining this Accelerator, mayors are committing to building systems that treat organic waste as a resource, provide collection services citywide, reduce disposal emissions by 30%, and create jobs in recycling and composting – turning waste management into climate action that protects communities and builds local capacity.
Why Global South cities are choosing this Accelerator
Mayors are transforming waste management because better systems deliver immediate benefits for climate, health, and local economies.
Cutting methane, the fastest climate lever
Tackling the type of emissions that heat the planet faster
Methane traps heat in the atmosphere far faster than carbon dioxide in the short term. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) identified methane reduction as the quickest way to slow global heating. Treating organic waste and capturing landfill gas delivers rapid, measurable climate impact.
Protecting frontline communities from pollution
Ending health crises in neighbourhoods that can least afford them
Uncollected waste, illegal burning, and overflowing dumps contaminate water, poison air, and clog drainage systems that increase flood risk. Communities already facing the greatest climate threats often live with these hazards daily. Citywide collection and proper treatment eliminate pollution at the source, creating safer, healthier neighbourhoods.
Building local green economies
Creating formal jobs that don’t depend on fossil fuels
Waste infrastructure generates employment in collection, recycling, composting, and nutrient recovery. Formalising the work that informal waste workers already do improves conditions and provides fair wages while building technical capacity. These jobs stay local and grow as systems expand, creating economic opportunity in sectors that will continue to be essential as cities transition away from fossil fuels.
Turning food waste into compost, energy, and nutrients
Treating organic waste as a resource, not refuse
Food waste produces biogas for energy, enriches soil through composting, and generates valuable nutrients for agriculture. Cities currently pay to dump this material in landfills, where it rots and releases methane. Proper treatment systems capture that value while eliminating emissions, turning a cost into an asset that benefits communities and climate.
What cities commit to through the C40 Sustainable Waste Systems Accelerator
Cities that join the C40 Sustainable Waste Systems Accelerator commit to three targets by 2030:
- providing citywide waste collection services
- treating at least 30% of organic waste
- reducing waste disposal emissions by at least 30%
This transforms waste management from a source of pollution and emissions into systems that protect communities, create jobs, and deliver measurable climate impact. Cities achieve this through infrastructure investment and policy action:
Commitment 1: Citywide waste collection
Provide timely waste collection services across the entire city, ensuring all communities benefit from proper waste management.
Commitment 2: Organic waste treatment
Treat at least 30% of organic waste through composting, biogas generation, or other methods that recover resources and prevent methane emissions.
Commitment 3: Emissions reduction
Reduce waste disposal emissions by at least 30%, directly addressing one of the largest sources of municipal emissions in Global South cities.
Cities committed to the C40 Sustainable Waste Systems Accelerator
Accra, Amman, Buenos Aires, Curitiba, Dar es Salaam, Dhaka South, Durban (eThekwini), Ekurhuleni, Freetown, Nairobi, Quito, Rio de Janeiro, Tshwane
How cities deliver on their zero waste commitments
Signatory cities commit to annual progress reporting across five action areas that transform waste systems into climate solutions:
- Address waste collection gaps to ensure all communities have access to services
- Develop sanitary landfills with landfill gas capture systems that prevent methane release
- Create good-quality local jobs in recycling, composting, and nutrient recovery sectors
- Phase out organic waste from disposal sites while mitigating emissions from existing facilities
- Support solutions that eliminate waste at the source and build toward zero-waste cities
The C40 Sustainable Waste Systems Accelerator was previously called the Pathway Towards Zero Waste. It’s now recognised as an Accelerator in its own right, sitting alongside the C40 Towards Zero Waste Accelerator.
Cities face different waste management realities. The C40 Sustainable Waste Systems Accelerator addresses the specific challenges of Global South cities, where high organic waste content creates opportunities for rapid methane reductions. Both Accelerators support cities working towards zero-waste futures, but with approaches tailored to different contexts and opportunities.
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Cities worldwide are proving that climate action is most successful when equity and fairness are at the heart of every decision.
Discover how mayors and cities worldwide are delivering on their commitments to take urgent climate action through C40’s High-Impact Accelerators.
