Closing Open Dumpsites: Protecting Health and the Environment

Open dumpsites have a devastating impact on the environment and public health. Waste Management World spoke to James Law of SCS Engineers. James has over 38 years of experience in civil/geotechnical engineering and the solid waste management industry on both national and international projects. He served as a board member of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) from 2017-2023 and was elected to serve as an Honorary Member of ISWA. Currently, Mr. Law is the Chair of the ISWA Working Group on Landfill (WGL) and the Task Force on Closing Dumpsites Global Initiative. In addition, he is certified by ISWA as an International Waste Manager with International status.

For over 30 years, Mr. Law has been a member of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), which is also a National Member of ISWA representing North America. He is a member of the Technical Division in Landfill Management. He holds SWANA’s Manager of Landfill Operations (MOLO) certification as well as Liquid Management Bioreactor certification.

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Impacting Consumer Behaviors

Consumers are individuals but the greatest consumers are businesses and governments. Businesses and governments structure the laws and culture influencing and educating citizens to make more informed decisions. Sustainable living is the positive things we can do in our daily lives to live better while reducing the negative impacts on the environment. Many are surprisingly simple. Some sound simple, but take the cooperation of many stakeholders to happen. Most of us take action based on how easy, accessible, and costly something is. Sustainability is about designing plans that encourage systemic changes critical to making sustainable living the default option. Education plays a major role, and the attitude of caring enough for your community and neighbors to make the changes too. Learn more by reading the articles here.

 

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