Wang, ShengnanTruffer, BernhardBai, Xuemei2026-04-112026-04-112210-4224https://hdl.handle.net/1885/733808408Understanding factors influencing the outcomes of innovative community waste management experiments is crucial for improving urban waste management. Yet, there is limited evidence on what are the critical factors and how different combination, and interaction of these factors influence outcomes. This study analyses 26 community waste management experiments in Shenzhen, China, using a mixed-method approach. Through analyzing data obtained from interviews, surveys, and focus groups, we identify 19 key factors determining the success of these experiments. Through fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), we identified three successful causal pathways: (1) committed participants supported by dedicated communities; (2) committed participants with local government backing; and (3) strong grassroots leadership supported by responsible local government. This indicates that an integration of social, organizational, and behavioral dimensions is crucial to tackle complex waste management challenges. The results also imply that policymakers and practitioners may chose alternative approaches to success, depending on their local situation.This work is supported by the Australian National University Research Scholarship (International) Full-Time (595/2017). We acknowledge the Australian Centre on China in the World (CIW) for supporting the data collection costs. We also acknowledge Dr. George Kiambuthi Wainaina for his time and insightful discussion on the method of QCA. We also acknowledge Kainan Xu, Xiaoqing You and Zhen Yang for their time and efforts in connecting us with participants.17en© 2025 The Author(s)Factor combinationsFuzzy set qualitative comparative analysisSuccess factorsSustainability experimentsSustainability transitionsUrban community waste management2025-07-2210.1016/j.eist.2025.101032105011143670