Although waste prevention is considered the best possible waste management option in
the European waste hierarchy model, it is unclear what constitutes waste prevention. To
address this lack of clarity, this text presents an analysis of four Swedish case studies of
waste prevention: a waste management company selling waste prevention services; the
possibility offered to Swedish households to opt out of receiving unaddressed
promotional material; a car-sharing program; and a re-use center. This analysis is
informed by an action-net perspective that focuses on the way organizing emerges from
connecting actions, often prior to networking between actors. In conclusion, we stress
that waste prevention rests on the invention of new modes and patterns of interactions
that both build and disrupt the existing institutional order and underscore the
importance of physical artifacts and dedicated infrastructures for waste prevention
initiatives
