The importance of work experience as opposed to education on the opinion of waste management professionals in Tehran Mahdi Hosseini Beinabaj, Alireza Bazargan, Ali Hosseinzadeh and Ali Moslehi Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran, and Mir Amir Mohammad Reshadi Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ecohydrology Research Group, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada Abstract Purpose – Waste management is an important environmental issue in many countries, and is poised to increase in importance in the future. The purpose of the study was to illicit correlations between gender, education, work experience, etc. and the attitude of waste experts towards various issues. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was designed and distributed to waste management experts in Tehran. A total of 27 responses were received. Statistical analysis was used to discern correlations between the responses and other parameters. Findings – Interestingly, education level did not correlate with any responses, indicating that exposure to academia does not influence opinions regarding waste management. This may be an indication that the topic of waste management is not properly addressed at universities in Iran, or that waste management experts have not studied relevant fields to their line of work. Conversely, the years of work experience in the waste management sector did correlate with various responses, suggesting that work experience has a much higher effect in shaping opinions rather than the years spent studying. Originality/value – The study sheds light on the facts that (1) the syllabus taught in universities does not provide enough information to students regarding waste management and does not shape their opinions (and/or) (2) those who have chosen solid waste treatment and management as a career do not have the necessary academic background. Keywords Waste treatment, Smart cities, Sustainable development, Urban planning, Environmental statistics Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction The production of solid waste is on the rise as a result of a growing population, industrial advancement, altered lifestyles and a greater reliance on single-use items. Ineffective handling of waste can potentially escalate environmental damage and pose a hindrance to achieving sustainable development. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations aim to attain a more environmentally, financially and socially sustainable world. The SDGs 11 and 12 center around the creation of sustainable cities and communities as well as promoting responsible production and consumption, and waste management makes an explicit appearance in both of these objectives. As the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and as the most populous city of the country, Tehran is located along the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains. Tehran is home to over 9 million residents from a wide variety of ethnicities, making it one of the top 40 largest cities on the planet. Education þ Training 457 Data availability statement: All data, models or codes that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/0040-0912.htm Received 25 March 2022 Revised 13 June 2023 8 June 2024 19 October 2024 12 November 2024 Accepted 13 February 2025 Education þ Training Vol. 67 No. 4, 2025 pp. 457-475 © Emerald Publishing Limited e-ISSN: 1758-6127 p-ISSN: 0040-0912 DOI 10.1108/ET-03-2022-0108