Can you afford to not be part of the most important waste management conference in Africa?

The Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) is anticipating record attendance at its biennial waste conference, WasteCon2010, this year. The conference will be hosted at Emperors Palace Convention Centre from 4 to 8 October 2010.

For the first time in the conference’s history, the public are invited to visit the exhibition. Conference chairperson Kobus de Meyer said, “It is important that the public become involved and understand what is available and how they can get involved in effective and efficient waste management practices. The IWMSA hopes that this ‘open door’ approach to the public will prompt a better understanding of what the IWMSA and its members do for the environment”.

“What is Your Waste Footprint?” is the theme for this year, and comes at a very apt time. The amount of land required per capita to dispose of waste generated impacts hugely on our ecological footprint; each of us is responsible for the waste that we generate. It is our social responsibility to be good to the Earth and to reduce and control the amount of waste that we create.

Changing our habits is crucial, and by reducing the amount of waste we produce by minimising, reusing or recycling, we will reduce the amount of virgin materials, the energy required to produce the materials and the amount of waste going to landfill sites.

Too often people do not believe that their contribution will have any impact.

The IWMSA hopes that through forums such as WasteCon 2010 and continuous dialogue with the industry and public, the message will be brought home that every contribution – regardless of how little you think it is – will have a positive impact.

And if we can change attitudes toward managing waste, we will have achieved a very important goal.

A wide range of topics focusing on recycling, policies and technical elements will be covered during the three-day conference, providing a comprehensive view of the waste management industry and how everyone – from individuals to businesses – can make a positive contribution to the environment.

The youth is also an important stakeholder for the IWMSA, “The youth should play a great role in promoting recycling and waste management. By starting recycling and awareness programmes or projects at schools, the youth are able to share ideas on promoting recycling and good waste management practices. These ideas and experiences filter down to their homes and communities,” says Stan Jewaskiewitz, president of the IWMSA.

“The youth can also encourage their parents and families to carefully consider their purchasing habits to reduce potential waste and to separate their waste streams into organics for home composting and recyclables, which can be deposited at drop-off centres or sold to recyclers.”

Learners from various schools have been invited to the exhibition to learn more about how they can contribute to a cleaner environment.

The IWMSA has strongly backed initiatives to educate and help create awareness for the public to reduce their waste output.

A recycling project will be running during the course of the conference – all the material produced during WasteCon2010 will be recyclable and recycled after the event.

Many networking sessions have been planned to provide delegates with an opportunity to share ideas.

Institute of Waste Management

of Southern Africa