Common Area Issue
I imagine that an urban dwellings waste issue is highly characterized by the nature of the way a common area is being taken by the dwellers:
Wherever is common or public, it is NOT within my care but the management correspondence that I have paid for, or the residents as a whole.
This mindset eventually creates a phenomenon:
Wherever is common or public, it is either vandalized, if not, filled with ill-managed waste in excessive.
In the refuse room of an apartment, you will be surprised with the amount of waste that is generated overnight, and at times, how irresponsible they were being thrown at (on the side of the corridor, next to the refuse room door instead of inside the already-full refuse bin).
One small practice that can help to minimize individual household waste that can be done is to instill small and limited ownership in places without service so that the individual owner takes care of their own property knowing that there is a limited service that they can rely upon in the waste management.
The other small practice that can be done on an individual household level is to eliminate bins or a refuse bin in the house.
In doing so, it tells people to think before they even generate waste, at the same time knowing that to dispose of a thing requires a much tedious process than simply crumpled up a piece of paper and throw it into a bin next to the table.