The Myth Of ‘Best Practice’ In Waste Management

The concept of ‘best practice’ is appealing because it promises certainty.

It suggests that someone, somewhere, has already figured out the ideal way to do something, and that the smartest move is simply to replicate it. In waste management, businesses are frequently encouraged to adopt these models. Systems are borrowed from other sectors, copied from international examples, or replicated from one successful site to another.

Why ‘best practice’ often fails in the real world

The concept of ‘best practice’ is appealing because it promises certainty. It suggests that someone, somewhere, has already figured out the ideal way to do something,  and that the smartest move is simply to replicate it.

In waste management, businesses are frequently encouraged to adopt these models. Systems are borrowed from other sectors, copied from international examples, or replicated from one successful site to another.

And on paper, this approach makes sense.

In practice, however, it often breaks down. Because waste management is highly contextual. It operates inside a complex system shaped by geography, infrastructure, regulation, and the daily realities of how a site actually works.

A retail mall and a hospital generate very different waste streams. A dense urban site operates under different constraints than a remote manufacturing facility. A campus-style property functions differently from a high-rise building with limited service access.

1.    Geography and infrastructure

• Access to recycling infrastructure varies significantly across regions.
• Certain materials that are easily recovered in one province may have limited downstream options in another.
  

2.    Local regulations and municipal bylaws

• Waste management is governed not only by national regulations, but also by provincial frameworks and municipal bylaws.
• This means that the same waste stream must be stored, handled, transported, treated, or disposed of in a different way, depending on the province.

3.    Site design and operational logistics

• Service yard access, available space, and internal waste flows directly affect how waste can be collected and managed.
• A theoretically ‘perfect’ separation system means very little if trucks cannot access the collection points or if staff cannot realistically use the infrastructure.

4.    Sector-specific waste profiles

• Different industries generate very different material streams – from packaging-heavy retail environments to food waste in hospitality or hazardous waste in healthcare.
• A system designed without recognising these differences will struggle to deliver consistent results.

Focus on a fit-for-purpose approach 

The importance of context becomes even clearer in companies that operate across multiple sites or provinces.

Corporate teams often aim to standardise waste systems across their portfolio. The intention is understandable. Standardisation simplifies procurement, reporting, and governance, and it creates a sense of operational control.

Yet the most effective companies recognise that consistency and flexibility are not opposites – they are complementary:

• Central oversight provides the strategic framework. It sets goals, defines reporting standards, tracks performance, and ensures regulatory compliance across the company. 

• Local execution then adapts those principles to the practical realities of each site. When this balance is achieved, waste systems remain aligned at a strategic level while still functioning smoothly on the ground.

A well-designed waste management approach doesn’t start with a rigid template – it starts with understanding how a site actually operates.

This includes analysing waste volumes and material composition, mapping operational flows, evaluating available recycling infrastructure, and reviewing regulatory requirements. These insights inform the design of a system that supports day-to-day operations rather than disrupting them.

In some cases, the result closely resembles familiar ‘best practice’ frameworks. In others, it looks quite different. The measure of success is not how closely a system resembles an industry template, but how reliably it performs in the real world.

Moving beyond the myth of ‘best practice’

Well-designed systems also anticipate change.

Across South Africa, landfill space is becoming increasingly constrained. Sustainability targets are rising and becoming mandatory. As these pressures increase, companies will need waste systems that can quickly adapt as conditions evolve.

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