Hangzhou was selected as one of the world's 20 "Zero-Waste Cities" by the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Zero Waste for its innovative waste management system that reduces waste generation and achieves near-total recycling, according to the Hangzhou Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau. The city's successful case is scheduled to be formally released on the UN platform on March 30, 2026, coinciding with the International Day of Zero Waste.

The board's decision highlighted Hangzhou's "unwavering commitment to zero waste" and its contributions to "advancing inclusive, sustainable, and innovative waste management solutions" as the primary reasons for its selection.

As a central city in Eastern China, Hangzhou has effectively balanced solid waste governance with the intense demands of its economic and population growth. Despite an annual GDP exceeding 2 trillion yuan ($286.8 billion) and a resident population of over 12.6 million, the city has successfully curbed waste generation.

Official data indicates that the total volume of domestic waste has shifted from increasing to decreasing, with daily production per capita dropping from 1.06 kilograms to 0.99 kg between 2021 and 2024. Furthermore, the city maintains a general industrial solid waste utilization rate of over 98 percent, and manages to keep the hazardous waste landfill rate to under 3.5 percent. Notably, Hangzhou achieved "zero landfill" for municipal solid waste across its entire domain by late 2020, setting a benchmark for megacities.