Hangzhou has achieved international acclaim by securing a place among the world’s top 20 ‘Zero-Waste Cities,’ as designated by the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Zero Waste. This prestigious recognition, announced by the Hangzhou Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, celebrates the city’s groundbreaking waste management system that dramatically reduces waste generation while achieving near-total recycling rates.
The United Nations organization specifically highlighted Hangzhou’s ‘unwavering commitment to zero waste’ and its significant contributions to ‘advancing inclusive, sustainable, and innovative waste management solutions’ as the primary rationale for this selection. The city’s successful case study is scheduled for formal release on UN platforms on March 30, 2026, strategically coinciding with the International Day of Zero Waste observances.
Despite being a major economic hub in Eastern China with an annual GDP exceeding 2 trillion yuan ($286.8 billion) and a resident population surpassing 12.6 million, Hangzhou has demonstrated exceptional capability in balancing solid waste management with substantial economic and demographic pressures. Official statistics reveal a remarkable turnaround in waste metrics: total domestic waste volume has shifted from historical increases to measurable decreases, with daily per capita production dropping from 1.06 kilograms to 0.99 kg between 2021 and 2024.
The city’s environmental achievements extend beyond household waste, maintaining an industrial solid waste utilization rate exceeding 98 percent while keeping hazardous waste landfill rates below 3.5 percent. Most impressively, Hangzhou accomplished complete ‘zero landfill’ status for municipal solid waste across its entire jurisdiction by late 2020, establishing an unprecedented benchmark for megacities worldwide in sustainable waste management practices.