Bringing together experience to improve the management of landfills
Managing a landfill balances the operational efficiency, environmental protection, and health and safety of the public and the landfill’s workers. There are many ways to approach the challenge of management, but with our health and environment on the line a landfill manager can’t afford to find the best approach alone.
We developed the Natural Attenuation Landfill Training Course with the Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation. The course brought together managers of First Nations natural attenuation landfills to look at best practices and share their experiences. It was a two-day course that was more than a list of best practices to adopt. We designed the course around the collective experience of the managers because we know experience is the best resource.
Over two days the participants discussed best practices, became familiar with a sample operations and maintenance manual, learned about landfill assessments, and visited a natural attenuation landfill to practice an assessment with what they learned in the classroom. Participants brought what they learned back to their own landfills to better manage operations, the environment, and the health and safety of their communities.