Built to last
A good idea can start a waste project. But turning it into a reliable local system takes much more.
Waste services need to work day after day – protecting public health, livelihoods, neighbourhoods, rivers and the wider environment – long after the launch, the pilot or the original funding has ended. So what helps a promising initiative take root, adapt and keep going?
Global Waste Lab developed the Seven Foundations framework from more than 20 years of practical experience, together with research undertaken for UNEP’s Global Waste Management Outlook 2024.
It looks beyond whether equipment has been delivered or activities completed. Is there leadership that translates ambition into budgets and action? Is the evidence good enough to guide decisions? Do the solutions fit the local context? Have the people who use, deliver and live with the system helped to shape it? And are climate, community assets and long-term finance built in?
The foundations are shown as a wheel because they are interconnected – and because waste systems need to keep rolling. If one part is weak, the whole system can struggle to move. When the foundations reinforce one another, projects have a much better chance of becoming lasting local services.
Explore each foundation below, then take the Resilience Review to see where your own project is strong – and what may need attention next.
Watch Built to Last
Built to Last is Global Waste Lab’s seven-part webinar series exploring the Seven Foundations for Resilient Waste Systems. In each session, Zoë Lenkiewicz is joined by an experienced practitioner to examine one foundation through real examples, practical lessons and honest reflection. Recordings, short clips and written takeaways will be added here as each webinar takes place.
1. Leadership and governance
Speaker: Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda
Clear political commitment, practical partnerships and a willingness to start can transform local waste services, even when resources are limited.
2. Evidence base
Speaker:Â Pushkar Pradhan
Proportionate, locally relevant data helps teams make better decisions, strengthen operations, build trust and unlock finance.