NEW YORK – Zero Waste Foundation, under the auspices of the COP31 Climate High-Level Champion – Samed Ağırbaş – today announced the next step in the Global Zero Waste Districts Initiative at an event hosted by the Global Methane Hub during Climate Week NYC.

The initiative is built around a simple idea: global commitments need a practical scale at which they can be delivered, measured and financed. Zero Waste Districts provide that scale by bringing together facilities, waste streams, shared infrastructure, local governance and investment within a defined area.

“Keeping organic waste out of landfills can cut methane, helping reduce the air pollution that makes people sick,” said Marcelo Mena, CEO of the Global Methane Hub. “Zero Waste Districts gives cities a practical way to deliver those health benefits while creating jobs, recovering valuable resources, and building solutions that can scale.”

“Zero Waste is climate action. But commitments alone do not deliver results. We need practical models that help cities move from ambition to implementation,” said Samed Ağırbaş, COP31 Climate High-Level Champion and President of the Zero Waste Foundation. “Zero Waste Districts give us a way to bring governments, communities, businesses and finance together around a defined place, with measurable outcomes and a pathway to scale.”

The initiative has a particular focus on organic waste and methane reduction. By bringing together waste streams and coordinating solutions across multiple facilities, districts can create the scale needed for shared systems such as composting and digestion, reuse and washing facilities, reverse logistics and repair capacity. The district provides the scale at which governance, measurement and finance can work together.

The initiative is taking shape across several regions, with pilot districts in Malaysia, Chile, Brazil and Kenya. In Malaysia, the first pilots include Pulau Tikus in George Town, Penang, which has been confirmed for mobilization, and the Kuala Lumpur City Center precinct, where work is progressing with the precinct owner and Think City. The initiative also welcomes the participation of districts in Chile, including Santiago and Patagonia; Brazil, including Fortaleza and Rio; and Kisumu in Kenya.