Looping Waste: A Collaborate Approach to Local Waste Management

Sammanfattning

WHYAlthough Sweden has a well-developed waste management system, many communities still rely on centralized processing, leading to long-distance transport and limited local reuse. This is especially true in transitional communities like student housing, where temporary residency and high turnover often result in more waste and fewer sustainable routines. These conditions make it important to rethink how waste can be handled and reused at the local level. WHERE & WHOThe site is Kungshamra, a student community in Solna that has both challenges and opportunities. On one hand, it suffers from a messy waste system and poorly developed waste-handling infrastructure. On the other hand, its diverse housing types, active student groups, and unused public space offer ground for innovation. This makes Kungshamra a productive site to test how everyday waste can be handled on-site. In this context, students are the main waste generators and potential drivers of change, making them the focus group. WHATThe project proposes a local waste management system built on multiple loops. These loops include on-site treatment as well as the resources, energy, and social mechanisms that support it. The goal is to improve sustainability and resource circulation by reducing externally treated waste and using waste as a resource to improve the local environment and community life. HOWThe design is based on fieldwork and surveys that analyzed residents’ behaviors and quantified waste amount across the community. A series of spatial interventions are introduced to support waste reuse within the site. For example, organic waste is composted and used for planting, greening paved areas, and reshaping terrain to support biodiversity and reduce heat. Reusable materials like plastic and wood can be transformed in workshops into outdoor furniture and shared structures, creating spaces that encourage interaction and care. These interventions are connected through a playful participatory system that invites residents to engage in circular practices as part of everyday community life.