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WASTE INDUSTRY TRAINING ISSUES CHALLENGES TO ACHIEVING CONSISTENT OUTCOMES IN NEW ZEALAND. by S F Eldridge, A P Kortegast, A G B Bryce, A W Shallard Tonkin & Taylor Ltd. Introduction. Significant improvement in landfilling practices in past 15 to 20 years Legislative framework:
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WASTE INDUSTRYTRAINING ISSUESCHALLENGES TO ACHIEVING CONSISTENT OUTCOMES IN NEW ZEALAND by S F Eldridge, A P Kortegast, A G B Bryce, A W Shallard Tonkin & Taylor Ltd
Introduction • Significant improvement in landfilling practices in past 15 to 20 years • Legislative framework: • Resource Management Act, 1991 • National Environment Standards Relating to Certain Air Pollutants, Dioxins and Other Toxics (NES), 2004 • Landfill standards still variable across the country
Variable landfill practices • Poor cover practices – leading to issues with: • Litter control • Odour management • Exposed waste • Surface water quality • Landfill gas management • Lack of waste compaction • Large working areas • Poor attention to surface water control resulting in stagnant water, surface water / leachate mixes, and elevated nutrient levels in runoff.
Potential causes • The continued lack of definitive standards for design, operation or monitoring of landfills (we have Guideline documents only) • Inconsistent regulatory enforcement • A lack of adequate training and capacity building • A failure to prioritise training and development for landfill management.
Possible way forward • Guidance Documents and Standards • Specific to New Zealand conditions • Provide a level playing field for regulators, designers and operators • Training • Supplement existing training • Engage regulators, designers and operators
Training options • Existing National Qualifications Framework: • Resource Recovery: • composting • recycling and recovery • resource recovery – construction and demolition • resource recovery operations • resource recovery theory • reuseable goods • scrap metal recycling and zero waste • Solid waste: • hazardous and special waste management • solid waste disposal • solid waste handling.
Training options (cont) • International on-line courses: • Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) e courses • Local, privately run operator training courses • Add-on to the WasteMINZ workshops and conferences • Opportunity for policy makers, regulators, designers and operators to contribute to and discuss the challenges that arise across the country • Improve consistency
WaseMINZ lead courses • Landfill design and operating standards across the country and how they can be improved • Landfill gas management and odour control and how it is best achieved • An introduction to landfill design and operation • An introduction to landfill closure and afteruse.
Way forward • Elicit comment and stimulate discussion • Landfill Sector Group can play key role in promoting training and regulatory initiatives • Thoughts / comments?????