Roubaix's Circular Economy Road Map

The town of Roubaix, situated in the north of France, is a post-industrial area, considered to be the poorest town in France. Lacking the competency to change waste collection and treatment practices, in 2014, Roubaix addressed waste at source, by creating a vibrant constellation of actors committed to reducing their waste: families, schools, businesses, associations, and the municipality itself. 

The City has developed a policy roadmap to transition to a zero waste economy. The roadmap aims at turning difficulties into advantages, and it is progressively implemented with a focus on cooperation and awareness raising among the stakeholders. The approach is global, even if some activities are implemented on a micro-scale (budget issue), mostly at the level of a city sub-district (Fresnoy-Mackellerie). To enable the entire City of Roubaix to experience the transition to a zero waste economy, projects are open and accessible to all categories of population and businesses. This is reflected in the way the projects are designed and co-developed, and how the City communicates about them. Some concrete solutions are tested on an everyday basis and feedback is already shared with others (zero waste family program, zero waste business label, zero waste festival…).

Within the Zero Waste Family program, families aim to generate less waste, consume better, buy less and reuse and repair. The project encourages families to produce less waste with simple gestures; by composting, by buying differently (less packaging, bulk), by cooking more, by repairing and diverting objects, by affixing a "stop advertising" sticker to your mailbox... But above all, by participating in collective and thematic exchanges, team discussions or practical workshops.

Moreover, the municipality also encourages other actors such as schools, enterprises and stores to reduce unnecessary consumption and reduce waste.

In only one year the city of Roubaix achieved impressive results:

- 25% of households managed to reduce their waste generation over 80% and 70% of them reduced it by 50%

- Families who took up the challenge have also seen important economic savings

- The network of actors involved in moving the town forward grown fast and helped to create a social fabric. 

Now Roubaix is not only contributing towards the national path to zero waste but it also portrays a new image of itself as a city.