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Solid Waste

Solid Waste and Resource Recovery Solutions

MWH, now a part of Stantec, is well positioned to help you develop environmentally, socially and economically viable solid waste management and minimisation solutions.

The way unwanted material is managed is changing as people move towards the responsible use of resources and minimization of waste. The traditional ‘cradle to the grave’ approach where unwanted material is discarded as waste is increasingly being challenged and legislative, economic, social and cultural factors are increasing the demand for a more holistic and sustainable approach.

The MWH specialist solid waste and minimisation team provides practical planning and engineering solutions to address even the most challenging issues. Our team includes internationally recognised practitioners and has expertise in waste management infrastructure and infrastructure and services that recover resources and minimise waste. Our work is governed by sustainability principles and focuses on a ‘cradle to cradle’ approach. We have evaluated and implemented a huge range of waste minimisation initiatives for clients in New Zealand and around the world with a focus on developing alternatives to allow for re-use, recycling, reduction and recovery of material that would otherwise become waste.

 

View our New Zealand Solid Waste Experts below:

John Cocks, National Specialist, Solid Waste

BE (Civil), MEngSc (Waste Management), CPEng, FIPENZ, MCIWEM

John is based in Dunedin and specialises in the fields of waste management, resource recovery, and wastewater management. He is the MWH national specialist and knowledge leader in solid waste. John has over 30 years’ experience in wastewater and solid waste management in New Zealand and overseas, ranging from national, regional and district strategic planning, consenting, design, procurement, operations and maintenance. Currently, he has represented the Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand and the Department of Conservation on the combined Australian-New Zealand standards committee for onsite wastewater management.

John has previously run an on-site wastewater management course and currently is running a solid waste and resource recovery course for IPENZ as part of the IPENZ continuing professional education programme. His experience includes the development of guidelines for the Department of Conservation, including compliance documents under the building code, standard operating procedures, and risk assessment procedure. He also provides peer review services for building consent applications, and acts as an expert witness at council and environment court hearings relating to the land applications of effluent and waste. John is also involved with sludge and biosolids treatment and disposal, and resource consent applications associated with these activities.

Recent Articles and Thought Leadership by John:

On Being a Good Neighbour - Odour Management at Landfills

Phil Landmark, Specialist Solid Waste

BScEng (Mining & Civil), CPEng, IntPE

Over the past ten years Phil has been undertaking and reviewing SWAP studies for a number of territorial authorities. Recently he has been involved in waste assessments and prepared waste management and minimisation plans for TAs. Through his work on landfills he has advised clients on waste composition studies and their applicability to determining unique emissions factors under the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme regulations. All of these projects, coupled with his hands-on practical experience using the sort and weigh methodology, have provided him with a good knowledge of the current SWAP methodology and its applicability to various waste management and minimisation assessments.

Phil is a civil and environmental engineer with more than 26 years’ experience in both New Zealand and internationally and has been specifically involved in solid waste management for over 15 years. During this period he has become increasingly involved in solid waste management, including carrying out waste composition assessments for local authority clients at landfills and transfer stations, and conducting waste audits of client facilities.

Phil is based in Palmerston North and has been involved in the planning and design of many waste facilities, including landfills, transfer stations and resource recovery centres. His work has provided insight into the importance of obtaining accurate information on waste stream compositions for planning and design purposes.

Kathryn Halder, Senior Environmental Scientist

BSc (Hons), MSc, CEnv, CIWM, MWasteMinz

Kathryn is a Chartered Environmental Scientist and has worked both in New Zealand and throughout the UK on solid waste projects. She has been involved in carrying out and reviewing SWAP studies for a number of territorial authorities.

Kathryn has been specifically responsible for overseeing and collating data as part of a Northern Ireland wide waste characterisation study. This was the first systematic study of its kind and consisted of a 12-month programme (1999-2000) to assess domestic waste from a cross-section of local authorities throughout Northern Ireland.

She has also undertaken similar analysis for the kerbside collection system and Resource Recovery Centres on behalf of Tasman District Council which involved using both the sort and weigh methodology and visual assessments. In March 2012, she completed SWAP studies at Tasman District Council’s Resource Recovery Centres and Nelson City Council’s Landfill using the sort and weigh methodology to ensure a consistent approach in both Council areas. This study will be used as the reference point for determining the biodegradable waste fraction of the waste going to landfill and the obligations under the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme.

Based in Nelson, Kathryn has over 16 years’ experience working in the fields of solid waste management, waste management planning, environmental assessment, and statutory consents. She has worked closely with local councils, regulatory authorities, governmental bodies and businesses to develop Waste Management and Minimisation Plans; Solid Waste Activity Management Plans; Waste Assessments; waste characterisation studies; assessment of historical waste management performance and projecting future trends.

A particular strength of our team is in the area of integrated waste management and resource recovery systems. Our multi-disciplinary approach covers planning, community consultation, resource consents, regional waste plans, district waste strategies and the design and development of infrastructure.

The MWH team has the ability to provide a multidisciplinary approach which is key to our success in the landfill engineering area. We provide a complete end-to-end service including the assessment of prospective sites, design of landfill components, design of gas extraction systems, remediation and closure of landfills and financial and operation management.

 

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