Workshops

As part of the conference program, there are five workshops attendees can participate in. Delegates will be able to select their preference when registering for the conference. 

• Designing a municipal waste audit program - Wednesday 13th May
• Residual waste management: Financial and operating fundamentals for landfill professionals - Wednesday 13th May
  
• Shaping the future of household problem waste management in NSW - Wednesday 13th May
  
• Waste data maturity: Moving from collecting information to intelligent decision making - Thursday 14th May
• Scraps to soil - Thursday 14th May
  

Designing a municipal waste audit program

This workshop walks participants through the key stages involved in designing a municipal waste audit program - from clarifying objectives to choosing the most suitable methodology and navigating the ever-challenging task of determining sample sizes.

It will provide a clear, structured process to help participants balance the need for accurate, reliable data with real world resource constraints and operational demands. 

Residual waste management: Financial and operating fundamentals for landfill professionals

Led by expert consultants and site performance specialists, this workshop will deepen your understanding of both the long-term financial costs and the operational fundamentals of landfill management. This workshop will be broken into two parts:

Part 1: Understanding the Whole of Life (WoL) cost of landfilling residual waste

Every tonne of waste received carries a long-term financial obligation for its compliant management extending for the active life of the landfill, and beyond. To ensure you are both fully aware of the component costs involved in the long-term management of residual waste, and you are accounting for both costs incurred today and those to come in the future, this workshop will help you identify both the magnitude and relative importance of each component within the WoL calculation through the use of real examples and cost-modelling exercises. The workshop will also demonstrate the practical extension of these calculations in developing supporting financial sustainability and planning tools, such as equitable fees and charges, long-term capital plans, and long term financial plans for all-of-service delivery. 

Facilitators:  Jonathan Beckett and Ronan Cullen. Talis Consultants.

Part 2: Optimise your landfill operations and workforce performance

Efficient site operations and a skilled team can reduce operational costs and extend landfill life by years.

Shaping the future of household problem waste management in NSW

This workshop will provide councils, regional waste groups and waste management companies with an opportunity to discuss problematic waste, including the types of waste posing the most significant risks to the environment, human health and waste management systems.

It will provide an opportunity to workshop solutions to the collection and management of these waste types and feed into the EPA's broader framework and issues paper that will guide the program’s future over the next five and ten years.

Waste data maturity: Moving from collecting information to intelligent decision making

Facilities across Australia produce more waste data than ever — yet many still struggle to turn that information into reliable reporting, operational insight, and defensible EPA or Regulator outcomes. This workshop provides a practical framework to help facilities across industry and local government lift from basic data collection to intelligent, integrated data use.

Using a 5-level maturity model, participants will assess their current data capability and learn how to improve data structure, levy & compliance reporting accuracy, internal data standards, and gatehouse processes.

Scraps to soil 

Scraps to Soil is a home composting and worm farming workshop that teaches you how to transform your kitchen and garden scraps into nutrient-rich food for your soil and plants.

Offered by MidWaste Regional Waste Forum, this workshop covers the basics of getting started with composting and worm farming at home and teach you how to create rich compost to make your garden grow!

You will learn:

• The benefits of composting
• How to set up, manage, and maintain a compost bin or worm farm
• What materials to use and how to troubleshoot common issues
• How to apply compost products effectively in your garden

MidWaste consists of five councils on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, working together to manage waste strategically at a regional level.

Her demonstrations are practical and light-hearted.  Join us for a 'hands on' composting and worm farming workshop, get your hands dirty and walk away with the skills to turn your kitchen and garden scraps into amazing food for your soil.