The social and behavioural side of the circular economy is still not adequately addressed at the local level .

Central to the theme of circular economy is sustainable consumption and waste prevention. The choices made by citizens in their everyday life could either support or hamper cities transition to a more circular economy. Cities are in a position to help, motivate, nudge or push their citizens in the right direction. Therefore, cities should facilitate for citizens so it is easier to reduce waste and develop more sustainable consumption patterns. However, initial consultation with the Partnership on Circular Economy and several other cities show that the social and behavioural side of a transition towards the circular economy and how citizens will be involved in the transition process is still not adequately addressed at a local level. Also, cities lack knowledge on how to effectively work with waste preventive measures facilitating for more sustainable consumption. The local approaches to waste prevention re-use and recycling initiatives are varied, where some cities have worked actively to increase the focus on waste prevention, re-use and repair. However, the area of waste prevention and re-use has traditionally been seen to be beyond the traditional obligations of the local waste management actors and therefor many local waste authorities still lack knowledge and expertise on the field.