This concluding chapter revisits the main themes of the book, synthesising the chapter authors’ insights into the conditions required for waste to become an urban mine. Our focus on the case of Norway’s experiences with urban mining has enabled us to investigate the evolution of institutionalised practices, policymaking, public and private activities, and changes in the ways that natural resources are valued, used and disposed of. Norwegian recycling institutions have been examined in the book from different empirical and theoretical perspectives. Four shared lessons have emerged from these analyses, namely: (i) that issues of ownership and responsibility distinguish urban mining from traditional mining, particularly in relation to households; (ii) that robust social institutions are critical for supporting the emergence and sustainability of urban mining; (iii) that constructive interaction is essential between national, regional and local levels of governance and with market actors to shape urban mining as an emergent institution; and (iv) that urban mining needs to be integrated within broader sustainability strategies for deeper systemic change. Ultimately, the success of urban mining depends on institutional adaptation and a shift away from an extractivist mindset towards a more sustainable, circular-economy approach.