Maintain, develop and share expertise and knowledge about waste management and sustainability

Overview

This standard is about maintaining and developing technical, operational expertise and knowledge in waste management, including environmental protection practice.
It includes identifying the expertise you need to carry out your current and future work, identifying developments in waste management and environmental practice and regulations, identifying your development requirements and selecting and implementing appropriate development activities to keep your knowledge and skills up to date. It also includes sharing information with other people and helping them to improve their practice.
This standard is for managers in the waste management sector.

Performance criteria

You must be able to:

  1. carry out an accurate analysis of own expertise against expertise required to undertake waste management activities 
  2. monitor developments within the waste management sector and environmental protection requirements, using information from appropriate sources 
  3. seek out examples of good environmental practice that are relevant to the waste management operations for which you are responsible
  4. assess the impact of new environmental protection requirements on existing practice on an ongoing basis
  5. evaluate the potential contribution of emerging waste management methods and procedures against existing practice on an ongoing basis 
  6. identify professional development activities that will provide the skills and knowledge you require 
  7. maintain and update expertise and knowledge at appropriate intervals and in ways that are appropriate to your situation 
  8. respect the contribution of others and respond to customer and client feedback and suggestions from colleagues in a positive way
  9. provide information to others about emerging good practice when it can have a positive impact on waste management and environmental protection activities 
  10. make information available to colleagues in a manner which facilitates understanding and ease of reference
  11. support other people in implementing improved waste management and environmental protection practice at appropriate times

Knowledge and understanding

You need to know and understand:

  1. the principles of sustainable waste management 
  2. factors that could prevent waste being managed in the most sustainable manner 
  3. the waste hierarchy and its application in sustainable waste and resource management
  4. principles underpinning the waste hierarchy and its links to national and international legislation 
  5. the five stages within the waste hierarchy and their links to physical, chemical, thermal and biological treatment methods 
  6. the positive and negative environmental impacts of diverting waste and resources away from landfill
  7. principles and procedures of waste and resource transfer and treatment 
  8. systems that can be used to deliver waste from the producer to a waste transfer and treatment facility that are suitable for different waste streams
  9. criteria for waste reception and rejection that are relevant to your area of operation
  10. methods, principles and technical and environmental benefits and associated quality protocols of waste treatment methods with which you are involved
  11. waste types that can and can’t be treated and the impact that different waste types can have on treatment processes 
  12. how to control and manage emissions, products and residual waste from waste treatment 
  13. the end uses of products from treatment methods 
  14. limitations of, problems associated with, and factors that may limit uptake of treatment methods 
  15. why it is important to ensure compliance with an environmental permit for waste treatment facilities 
  16. relevant legislative requirements, regulations codes of practice and guidance 
  17. the expertise that is required for the waste management activities with which you are involved 
  18. credible sources of information about developments in practice, emerging products and new regulations 
  19. sources of information on public knowledge and their perceptions of good practice
  20. the professional development activities that are available 
  21. how to acquire different types of professional development 
  22. how to identify and obtain information on e and what they can achieve
  23. who might require information on technical developments and when they are relevant
  24. the importance to you and your organisation of keeping up-to-date with emerging practice, new regulations and other developments
  25. the expertise of others in the profession
  26. the relevant health, safety, environmental and broadcasting regulations, guidelines and company procedures and systems and how to obtain information on them 
  27. the extent of your own responsibility and to whom you should report if you have problems that you cannot solve