sei-brief-2018-urbancircle-010f5b80613f32f0.pdf

This briefing describes UrbanCircle, an initiative by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) designed to help urban centres transition from linear waste systems to a circular economy. The project focuses on converting organic waste—including sanitation wastewater, excreta, and food waste—into commercial products like fertilisers, biogas, and dry fuels to generate revenue and improve public health.

• Linear waste systems in the food and sanitation sectors cause significant economic and environmental damage. In Kenya, poor sanitation was estimated by the World Bank to cost the economy 27 billion Kenyan Shillings annually (approximately US$324 million), which represents nearly 1% of the national GDP. This loss is attributed to premature deaths, productivity losses, increased health care costs, and access time. Additionally, the decomposition of excreta and food waste releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
• Organic waste streams can be transformed into economically valuable and sustainable products. Potential outputs include biogas and dry fuels for energy production, irrigation water, and agricultural fertilisers or soil conditioners that can be as effective as chemical alternatives. Developing these revenue streams can create business opportunities for local entrepreneurs and improve local economies through tax revenue and healthier populations.
• The UrbanCircle project is applying a circular economy approach to Naivasha, Kenya, in partnership with Sanivation. The project follows a three-step process: first, conducting an inventory of waste streams and mapping resource demand; second, co-developing future scenarios for resource recovery and technology options with stakeholders; and third, using a tool called REVAMP (Resource Value Mapping) to estimate the economic costs and benefits of those scenarios.
• The REVAMP (Resource Value Mapping) tool, developed by SEI, is used to support the planning of urban waste and natural resource management. Its current beta version estimates the recovery potential of organic matter, nutrients, and energy from organic solid waste, faecal sludge, and sewage sludge. The project in Naivasha serves as an opportunity to refine the tool using local stakeholder input.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). sei-brief-2018-urbancircle-010f5b80613f32f0.pdf. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sei-brief-2018-urbancircle.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. sei-brief-2018-urbancircle-010f5b80613f32f0.pdf. n.d. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sei-brief-2018-urbancircle.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=sei-brief-2018-urbancircle-010f5b80613f32f0.pdf |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sei-brief-2018-urbancircle.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendseibrief2018urbancircle010f5b80613f32f0pdf, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{sei-brief-2018-urbancircle-010f5b80613f32f0.pdf}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sei-brief-2018-urbancircle.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }