The amount of waste in our cities is growing - at the same time, raw materials are becoming scarcer worldwide. This is precisely where the circular economy comes in: products should be used, reused, repaired or recycled for as long as possible. The aim is to avoid waste, conserve resources and protect the environment. Local authorities play a key role in this system. They organise waste disposal, promote recycling initiatives and help decide which products and materials are purchased - ideally those that are particularly durable or recyclable.Â
When a local authority orders new flooring for its schools, for example, it can make a conscious decision to use recycled products - e.g. made from tyre rubber granulate. It can also use such materials for construction projects or playground renovations. At the same time, municipal campaigns and regulations influence the behaviour of citizens - for example through education on waste separation or collection campaigns for electrical appliances.
Circular economy at the municipal level:
A short explanatory film by Circular Valley introduces you to the circular economy.
Administrative assistants are directly involved in the implementation of the circular economy in cities and municipalities: They check offers, support procurement processes and inform citizens about waste separation rules. Their actions make the difference - for a resource-conserving municipality with a future. The circular economy means using and recycling products, materials and raw materials for as long as possible instead of throwing them away. Administrative staff can play an active role in this - e.g. by promoting sustainable procurement or participating in information campaigns.
Learning objectives of this lesson:
Learning objective: Understand the basic principles of the circular economy and the role of municipalities.
Municipal circular economy in practice - checklist for more circularity
We have prepared a checklist with typical fields of action for municipal administration. The aim is to recognise the areas in which measures to promote the municipal circular economy are possible.
Group task: Discuss and evaluate together which points have already been implemented in your municipality/training centre. Then highlight three particularly effective measures and formulate suggestions for implementation or support requirements. The results are presented to the class in a short presentation.
Learning objective: Understand the link between municipal measures and SDG goals. We have prepared fact sheets on the three most important SDGs for municipalities:
Profile SDG 11 - Sustainable cities and communities
Creating resource-conserving and climate-resilient cities. Examples: Green roofs with building protection made from recycled materials, citizen participation in waste concepts.
Fact sheet SDG 12 - Sustainable consumption and production
Conservation of resources, less waste, sustainable supply chains. Examples: Recycled paper in the town hall, reuse of furniture.
Profile SDG 13 - Climate action
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions, minimise climate risks. Examples: Use of recycled building materials (e.g. rubber granulate), recycling of used tyres.
TaskAssign (alone or in teamwork) municipal measures in the sense of a circular economy to the appropriate SDG goals (multiple assignments possible). Discuss afterwards:
Learning objective: Reflect on and evaluate their own possible contributions to the circular economy in everyday training.
Task: Draw up a list (individually or in small groups) of 5 to 7 specific measures that you can take to avoid waste and/or conserve resources at school, in training or in your everyday life. Think about each measure:
Group discussionCompare your lists. What measures do you have in common? What do you find easy to implement - and why? What challenges do you face with certain measures? At the end, write down together the measures that you can implement in your municipality or training centre.
Learning objectives: Understand how a functioning circular economy works using the example of tyres. Watch a short film to get you in the mood: Tyre recycling as a successful model of circular economy
Contents: The tyre/recycling industry shows how circular economy works: Sustainable, retreadable new tyres are kept on the road for as long as possible through repair, re-profiling and retreading and then sent for climate-friendly mechanical or material recycling in order to keep valuable raw materials in the cycle. Almost 60 percent of the used tyres produced in Germany (over 500,000 tonnes per year) are kept in the cycle.Â
Task: Put the stages of the tyre circular economy in the right order. Consider which measures can be implemented at local level.
In a quiz, you can test your knowledge of the municipal circular economy in a fun way. We have prepared ten questions. Several of the four alternative answers can be correct.
Task: Select the correct answer(s) for each of the ten questions. The quiz can be completed individually or in groups. Who is the circular economy champion?
You can issue students and trainees with a certificate of attendance to document their successful participation in the eight lessons. The Free template for the certificate can be requested here without obligation.
To better convey the lesson content in class, you can free of charge and without obligation request a sample pack with material samples, information brochures and demo products.
The package contains samples of coloured rubber granulate, samples of high-quality recycled products made from tyre rubber granulate and a sample box with samples of sustainable floor coverings for roofs.
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