What can urban parks teach us about the shift to Zero Waste cities? More than you might think
Across Europe, urban parks are becoming pioneers in the movement towards circular, waste-free living. These green spaces, traditionally seen as places for rest and recreation, are now being transformed into living labs for sustainability thanks to the Zero Waste Urban Parks (ZWUP) project.
From parks to prototypes for change
Funded by the EU’s Erasmus+ programme, ZWUP is an innovative project that seeks to reshape the way cities manage urban parks, putting circular principles at the heart of decision-making. Coordinated by the Province of Antwerp (Belgium) alongside Zero Waste Lab (Portugal), ACPP – Asamblea Cooperación por la Paz (Spain), and Ekopotencjal (Poland), the project brought together diverse expertise with a shared goal: to test and scale Zero Waste strategies in urban parks while building a European Zero Waste Parks Network.
Forget the overflowing bins and single-use picnic culture. In these pilot parks, from Lisbon to Seville, Mechelen to Wroclaw, reuse, reduction, and community action are taking centre stage.
Lisbon’s Tapada da Ajuda: where the shift begins
Take “Tapada da Ajuda” in Lisbon, a 100-hectare park integrated with Monsanto’s forest, an university campus, and a long-standing role in biodiversity conservation and environmental education. It’s now a ground zero for waste prevention experiments.
A new circular story is being written along its paths:
- Zero waste picnic areas, where visitors are encouraged to bring reusable containers and take their waste with them
- On-site composting stations, giving organic waste a new life beside the community gardens
- Staff trainings on zero waste and sustainability, bike lanes, EV charging points
- New agreement demands for event promoters
This isn’t just a green upgrade, it’s a whole new management philosophy.
Empowering communities, not just park managers
The ZWUP project invested in awareness actions and workshops with students, and a practical Zero Waste Urban Park HandBook has been designed, helping parks rethink everything through a zero waste lens, from vendor contracts to event planning.
But here’s the real power of this experiment: it’s not top-down. Parks teams, visitors, students, city officials, everyone’s part of the shift. Change happens faster (and sticks longer) when it’s co-created, not imposed.
In Portugal, Zero Waste Lab is already identifying new opportunities within Tapada de Ajuda, collaborating with local schools, local promoters and youth groups. The ambition is to replicate this model in other urban parks nationwide. Dialogues with municipalities and public agencies are underway, showcasing how flexible and locally tailored the Zero Waste approach can be.
And the network is growing. A brand new Zero Waste Parks Network is now connecting cities and parks teams from across Europe.
Want to swap tips on ditching disposables or rolling out community composting? Join the network and send an email to [email protected] with the subject: want to join the network, and you will receive information on a regular basis and connect with partners over Europe.
What’s next for zero waste public spaces?
How can we give relevance and meaning to this project? How far can urban parks go as circular economy trailblazers? Can this model scale up to other public spaces, like local gardens, beaches, squares and even whole districts?
In order to reach long-term impact either environmental, social or economical, of this waste-free park approach compared to business-as-usual, we need to understand it as a cultural shift that affects public space managing from contracts, to human resources, funding, sales, seeing the public space as an asset of co-responsibility.
One thing is clear, with the right tools, partnerships and public engagement, parks can be more than lungs of the city. They can be engines for urban transformation.
Inspiration for ERIC cities
The Zero Waste Urban Parks (ZWUP) project offers valuable insights for the Elevating Reuse in Cities project, especially in the context of reducing single-use items in public spaces, key areas of municipal action. By promoting a wide range of zero waste practices in urban parks, ranging from organic waste composting to zero-bin areas, the ZWUP project is gradually defining a practical pathway for cities to take meaningful action in regulating and enhancing their green spaces. One that ERIC cities can draw direct inspiration from. These efforts not only support environmental regeneration in urban areas but also foster community engagement and provide a platform for sharing best practices.