The International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) is a non-governmental, independent and non-profit association by statutes and follows the mission statement to promote and develop professional

waste management Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitorin ...

worldwide as a contribution to sustainable development. ISWA's objective is the worldwide exchange of information and experience on all aspects of waste management. The association promotes the adoption of acceptable systems of professional waste management and of public cleansing through technological development and improvement of practices for the protection of human life, health and the environment as well as the conservation of materials and energy resources. ISWA is active in a variety of areas, including conferences, meetings, training programs, information development and dissemination, and technical assistance on a global scale. The association has a total of more than 1,200 members in 93 countries. Its network expands to countries with more than 80% of the world's population and represents all aspects of the waste management field: from practitioners and industry to communities, from associations, research institutes and academics to regulatory authorities.

Working groups

The association is the global forum for waste management with nine technical working groups covering all relevant aspects of sustainable waste management and with special interest in developing country issues. * Working Group on Biological Treatment of Wastes: addresses the biological treatment of the organic fraction of solid waste through

aerobic Aerobic means "requiring air," in which "air" usually means oxygen. Aerobic may also refer to * Aerobic exercise, prolonged exercise of moderate intensity * Aerobics, a form of aerobic exercise * Aerobic respiration, the aerobic process of cel ...

and

anaerobic decomposition Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels. Much of the ferment ...

processes. * Working Group on Collection and

Transfer Transfer may refer to: Arts and media * ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović * ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film * ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies ...

Technology: addresses the storage, collection, transfer and transportation of solid wastes. * Working Group on Communication: addresses public concerns, comprising public support of and opposition to waste management policies, public consultation and participation, and communication and social issues with focus on human attitudes towards waste. * Working Group on Hazardous Waste: focuses on the sound management of hazardous wastes from both industrial and household sources, and the remediation of hazardous waste sites resulting from unacceptable hazardous wastes management practices. * Working Group on Healthcare Waste: promotes the integrated provision of the infrastructure for the safe management of health care waste worldwide, within the framework of the objectives, activities and means of implementation established by Agenda 21 of the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development. * Working Group on Legal Issues: works towards exchanging knowledge and experience on legal subjects within the entire field of solid waste management. Including waste minimisation, low waste technology, reuse, recycling, collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of all types of waste, operation of waste management systems, eco-management and audit scheme, environmental protection, work in environment and public participation. * Working Group on

Recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

and

Waste minimisation Waste minimisation is a set of processes and practices intended to reduce the amount of waste produced. By reducing or eliminating the generation of harmful and persistent wastes, waste minimisation supports efforts to promote a more sustainab ...

: addresses both minimisation of solid waste generation and the separation, processing and marketing of materials removed from the municipal solid waste stream. * Working Group on

Thermal Treatment Thermal treatment is any waste treatment technology that involves high temperatures in the processing of the waste feedstock. Commonly this involves the combustion of waste materials. Systems that are generally considered to be thermal treatment ...

: addresses the thermal treatment of

municipal solid waste Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food waste ...

, comprising the combustion processes, the production of energy, the control of emissions and the handling of residues. * Working Group on Landfill: focuses on the design, construction, regulation, and management of landfills, for both industrial and developing nations. Management interests include operations, closure, and post-closure issues, including ground water monitoring and testing, leachate management, gas management, as well as the quantity and quality of the wastes landfilled.

Development networks and programmes

* Regional development networks: To more effectively implement its programs ISWA has established regional development networks outside of its traditionally strong areas (Central Europe and the USA). At the present 3 networks have been established: • Asian and Pacific Regional Network: includes members from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand. • Balcanien, Middle East and Mediterranean Regional Network: includes members from Turkey and Israel. • Latin America Regional Network: includes members from Argentina and Brazil. The objective of these networks is to promote sustainable waste management in their regions, to develop a network for local problem solving, to promote ISWA and serve as a link to ISWA programs. Each regional office organizes local meetings, conferences and training events to address issues of concern for a specific region. * ISWA development programme The ISWA development programme was created to fund educational and training programmes in the field of waste management as well as sustain a transfer of knowledge to developing countries and economies in transition. The IDP is a

World Summit on Sustainable Development The World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002, took place in South Africa, from 26 August to 4 September 2002. It was convened to discuss ustainable developmentorganizations, 10 years after the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. (It was the ...

Type II Partnership endorsed by the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...

and is financed by voluntary donations from ISWA members, as well as third-party sponsors.

Publications

ISWA publications include journals (''

Waste Management & Research ''Waste Management and Research'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering the field of waste management. Information The editor-in-chief is P. Agamuthu (University of Malaya). It was established in 1983 and is published by SAGE Publica ...

''), newsmagazine (''

Waste Management World Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product, by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor economic value. A waste prod ...

''), several position and policy papers, key issue papers and various reports from working groups.

Education and training

ISWA carries out several ad hoc training courses and workshops around the world through its various working groups and in cooperation with other entities. More recently it has launched the International Solid Waste Manager Certification Programme. This programme is designed to provide an internationally recognized certification for individual professional waste managers based on their academic achievements and their practical work experience.

References

External links