Thinking and working within a circular economy challenges the profligate use of resources, material and energy.³⁷ It forces us to rethink, reengineer and rebalance our behaviours in such a way that we become more mindful of the value and finite nature of the world's resources. Waste is simply "matter out of place"; it is part of the natural order of things.³⁸ In a circular economy, there is no waste, rather it is stuff in the wrong place. We need to start thinking of waste as a resource, rather than a byproduct of the linear consumption process.

The adoption of smart city tech is an opportunity to bring in circular economy thinking as governments modernize and respond to climate change and other environmental issues. The following paragraphs provide a summary of recommendations that can enable circular economy efforts using smart city momentum: