In recent times, Dhaka’s public spaces have been grappling with escalating waste issues, causing damage to the natural environment and reducing breathable areas. This paper examines the psychology of waste generation in public spaces using the Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model that focuses on the dynamic interplay between urban environments, human behaviour, and environmental sustainability. It explores the Suhrawardy Udyan, a major park in the Dhaka City, as a case study to investigate how architectural design and policies can enhance public green space maintenance and curb detrimental waste-making patterns. The findings emphasize the necessity of discreet architectural interventions to seamlessly integrate waste management into spatial policies in various scalar systems (i.e. micro, meso, macro). The paper argues that articulating concepts such as belongingness, territoriality, and co-creation through various spatial strategies, such as place-making, can prompt both reactive and proactive measures from the stakeholders, fostering a sense of ownership. This approach is pivotal in shifting the culture of waste-making in public spaces towards a more responsible one.