Striving towards a leaner, greener and healthier 2013

The Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA)’s main objective for 2013 is to unstintingly strive towards a cleaner and healthier environment by increasing their focus on education and training in the waste management field.

Deidre Nxumalo-Freeman, President of the IWMSA says “The IWMSA believes firmly that continuous education in the arena of waste management is absolutely critical in achieving a cleaner and healthier environment for all in South Africa. This includes education of our members as well as other private sector organisations and governmental agencies. Together, despite facing sometimes seemingly overwhelming challenges, we are determined to persevere in aiming for excellence in the management of all our country’s waste streams. We have seen encouraging and positive steps forward thanks to the dedication of our teams and committees who have persisted in consistent awareness-raising campaigns and training programmes. We are convinced that a greener, brighter environment is not only a possibility, but a certainty.”

Nxumalo-Freeman continues, “This year, the IWMSA’s approach towards fulfilling our vision will be that of focusing on six specific portfolios.  We believe that each of these portfolios is supportive of the others and will ultimately result in a more unified and greater whole.

“Our six areas of focus are as follows:

• to provide accredited education and training relevant to an organisation/municipalities’ needs that will result in high ethical conduct and standards in the waste industry;
• to facilitate Government liaison with all spheres of Government;
• to accredit our member organisations through the development of a model assessment standard/audit and to include mentorship as part of the package;
• to involve the IWMSA in social responsibility opportunities such as school programs, supporting communities and providing assistance to those with existing programs resulting in a tangible grassroots impact. We would like to see projects benchmarked and used by municipalities as well as small and micro enterprises;
• to ensure that the IWMSA’s transformation policy is all-encompassing and that this has an influence on the needs of our members, and
• to market and brand the IWMSA as an extension of our continuous communication portfolio.

“The IWMSA appreciates that feedback is highly valuable and we have numerous communication platforms where voices may be heard. Besides the traditional methods of communication, we utilise social media extensively in order to maintain contact with our membership base and also to reach other industry professionals. The IWMSA can be found on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter (@IWMSA) and we look forward to increased interaction with role players in the waste industry this year” concludes Nxumalo-Freeman.

The IWMSA is a non-profit organisation comprising a body of dedicated professionals in their respective fields, who give freely and voluntarily of their time and expertise in order to effectively educate, promote and further the science and practice of waste management.  For more information, visit: www.iwmsa.co.za.

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