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to the circular economy and on the website of PBL.
3.5 Local Circular Economy Policies
Local government plays a crucial role in our transition towards a
circular economy. After all, the local level is where policy passed
at national, European and other international levels is often
implemented. In the Netherlands, local government consists of two
administrative layers across 12 provinces and 355 municipalities.
Dutch local governments began making the circular economy
a point of priority around 2016. This was triggered by national
political interest in a circular economy, increased societal pressure
locally and the promising opportunities for improving innovations
in the local economy, increasing employment and decreasing
environmental impacts. The policies were not completely new,
aligning as they did with existing waste management policies,
support of start-ups and green economy promotion. However,
these activities which were previously carried out in silos now
fell under one umbrella. Their scope broadened, from being a
merely environmental issue (e.g. waste management) to part of an
integrated approach in which the environment, the economy and
social wellbeing all go hand in hand. This implied that the circular
economy gradually touched on policy areas of practically all local
government departments. Lessons learned by pioneering Dutch
municipalities were summarised in the informative report Circular
Cities: Accelerating the Transition towards Circular Cities. 26 To
discover the circular potential of a city and set priorities and
ambitions, various Dutch cities have applied the Circle City Scan
tool created by among others not-for-profit organisation Circle
Economy. 27 This helpful visual roadmap identifies opportunities for
fostering a circular economy. How to develop circular economy
strategies and define their role in the implementation is still
26 Holland Circular Hotspot and Circle Economy, Circular Cities:
Accelerating the Transition towards Circular Cities, The Hague, 2019,
www.hollandcircularhotspot.nl.
27 See http://www.circle-economy.com.