Newly elected CIWM President Mike Philpott highlighted the need for better strategic direction and skills for the waste industry at the opening session of CIWM’s Conference in Paignton on 14 June.

He repeated calls for some form of strategic waste authority, adding: ‘We have so many separate government departments, quangos, even professional associations, all with an interest in waste. They need co-ordinating and soon.’

His hard-hitting address emphasised the need to get to grips with planning issues and to undertake an effective review of the Waste Strategy 2000: ‘We have major targets to reach by 2010 and an even steeper climb to 2013. Huge investment of many billions of pounds has to be made if these targets are to be met and that doesn’t include investment to meet hazardous waste, WEEE or ELV changes. It takes time to get permissions and spend money and I am not confident we can achieve it in time.’ 

He also stressed the importance of enhanced skills in meeting current and future challenges: ‘The great change in our industry from waste collection and disposal to true resource management has highlighted the need for a dramatic expansion of skills at all levels in the workforce and in management.’ He urged all companies and authorities to support the work of Energy and Utility Skills.

‘Most importantly, skills, competence, credibility and responsibility should be the qualities that separate professional waste managers from the cowboys. We need to ensure that employers, waste producers, government and the regulators place sufficient emphasis on these qualities and on cutting out the cheats who do not subscribe to them,’ he said.

As part of this process he emphasised the importance of the effective management of staff so that they can reach their full potential, which includes helping them to learn from other professionals: ‘This Institution was founded because people wanted to share information in 1898. They did it by visiting each other’s facilities and writing technical papers, something we are not very good at today. I was lucky enough to be a member of the Class of 74 and am the eleventh President from that group of men and women that took responsibility for waste disposal when the counties became the waste disposal authorities. Casting all modesty aside, we did transform waste disposal in England and we did it by learning from each other and copying from the best. Now we have the example of the Beacon scheme for local authorities where the best pass on their insights to the rest.

‘We need to follow these examples, and it is a pity that many companies and authorities do not understand the importance of learning in this way and they fail to encourage their staff to attend technical meetings and facility visits. I think they are wrong and they are missing an opportunity that could actually save them time and money in the longer term.’

This life-long learning process lay at the very heart of CIWM’s philosophy: ‘This Institution is part of building and supporting those leaders and managers that we need – from the first days of young careers to updates for those of us near our ‘sell-by’ date! It’s no use pretending; real waste solutions and professionals and leaders don’t just grow on trees; we have to make them and nurture them’