Waste management professionals from all sectors will gather this month for the Landfill 2017 conference and for the first time ever the event will be held at an operational landfill site.

The KwaZulu Natal Landfill and Waste Treatment Interest Group (LaWTIG) of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) will host the event which will bring leaders in the waste and environmental management industries together to share latest techniques and developments to improve landfill as a waste management practice.

Decision makers from Government, the private sector, prospective users, academics, vendors, suppliers, and representatives of various national organisations working in the landfill arena will attend the conference which promises to provide fantastic learning and networking opportunities.

In addition to a high level of technical presentations, delegates will enjoy viewing exhibitor stands and will have the opportunity to walk outside and watch demonstrations of the most advanced landfill equipment.

“South Africa has 876 landfill sites that receive municipal waste. This fact alone indicates how important it is for waste management professionals across all sectors to gather together to look at best practices and new technology,” says Jan Palm, president of IWMSA.

Robust discussions and networking

One of the topics that will be discussed at Landfill 2017 is capping. The cap on a landfill helps to limit the quantity of rain water that seeps into the waste; it essentially separates waste from the atmosphere.

“The aim of this workshop is for delegates to learn more as they discuss effective capping and thereafter submit conference comments to the Department of Environmental Affairs for consideration in compiling a final Practice Note on Landfill Capping,” says Palm.

Kelvin Legge, Chief Engineer at the Department of Water and Sanitation will provide the keynote address covering aspects of landfill designs and proposals that his department receives.

Among the other topics to look forward to at the Landfill 2017 conference are discussions on forest restoration at the Buffelsdraai Landfill site, rubble crushing, landfills as resource hubs, and developing long term municipal waste disposal strategies.

“We look forward to robust discussion and networking at Landfill 2017 as well as valuable learning opportunities amongst delegates from all interested waste management fields,” concludes Palm.