Menu

Working Groups, Roundtables & Special Events

Coast Waste Management Association fosters environmental leadership and best practices by providing a forum for discussion, education, and networking.

Our Working Groups, Roundtables, Regular and Special Events are all a key part to ensure we fulfill our mission. 

Participation by our members and friends of CWMA is vital as it is the sharing of their expertise, ideas, and progress that builds the knowledge to foster leadership in solid waste management in BC.

WORKING GROUPS

CWMA Working Groups have been created to provide domain-specific focus to make a greater collective impact on information sharing within the solid waste management industry in British Columbia. These groups are action-oriented networks, where leaders come together to contribute their expertise and experience to help each other learn, develop solutions, and implement successful strategies for managing waste.

Every group is facilitated and participants set the agendas based on their current interests and needs.

  • Islands, Remote & Rural Community Working Group co-led by Mike Nestor (Denman Island) and Abby McLennan (Let’s Talk Trash) and includes ongoing updates, presentations, problem-solving discussions, and compilation of common information, successes and challenges for managing waste from BC Islands, rural, and remote areas. Meetings are every two months.

  • LFG Field & Flare Operator Working Group co-led by Sarah Willie (Comox Valley Regional District) this is a small working group of LFG collection field and flare operators in BC who come together to discuss LFG topics and problem solve together. Meetings are every two months. Tours will be added in 2023!

  • Educators & Communicators Working Group co-led by the Let’s Talk Trash team (famous for their work with the qathet RD), this groups brings together educators and communicators from corporate organizations, non-profits, and local governments to discuss best practices, challenges and opportunities to communicate with the public. This group meets 3 times a year plus ad hoc discussions as needed.

  • Construction & Demolition Waste Working Group co-led by Christine Woodhouse (City of Victoria Zero Waste Victoria team) this group meets on specific topics related to building, construction and demolition waste diversion, from policy to new innovations. Topics are determined by attendees and range depending on the group interest and needs. Meetings are every two months.

  • Plastic Waste Rducation Working Group co-led by Tamara Shulman (Tamara Shulman & Associates) is a purposefully small group that crosses all areas of the topic from producers of reusables to policy analysts. This group aims to better-understand the challenges and potential solutions for plastic waste and bring relevant information back to the local industry via an annual workshop in December.

     

  • Landfill Operators Working Group. This group comes together for roundtable updates, problem-solving discussions, sharing information, successes, and challenges to keep each other informed and learn from one another. Co-led by Christian Dietrich (Ecowaste Industries), this group meets 4 times a year and provides additional support to each other between meetings.

  • Organics & Food Recovery Working Group. This group meets to stay on top of what is happening with organics management and food recovery across BC. Topics are determined by attendees and range depending on the group interest and needs. This group has three planned meetings/roundtable and one major event planned. Ad hoc meetings for specific challenges will be added as needed.

  • Northern BC Solid Waste Working Group. Co-lead by Mark Fisher (formerly elected official in RDBN) this group focuses on Northern communities across BC dealing with the day-to-day waste management challenges as well as some elected officials whose area portfolios include solid waste management. Presentations, open discussion, problem solving and especially a focus on collaboration to help solve challenges and celebrate success. These meetings are held quarterly.
  • Textiles. More information on the (NEW!) textiles working group shortly. Co-Led by Renée Macdonald (Galiano Island) and just kicking off after a 2022’s successful roundtables. Stay tuned!

ROUNDTABLES

CWMA Roundtables combine a traditional roundtable discussion purpose: to hold a close discussion and exploration of a specific topic but they will often include summary updates from everyone around the table to bring everyone to a heightened understanding of the work of colleagues and groups across the industry. For the main discussion, our roundtables hold all participants on equal footing and ideas are equally exchanged by participants on a given topic.

  • Local Government & First Nations ~ Next Roundtable Event: October 25, 2023 in conjunction with CWMA Conference.
  • Educators & Communicators ~ Next Roundtable Event: October 25, 2023 in conjunction with CWMA Conference.

SPECIAL EVENTS

CWMA provides many forums and facilitation with our Mission in mind: to foster environmental leadership and best practices by providing a forum for discussion, education, and networking within the solid waste industry in BC and beyond…

From individual presenters (virtually), speed meetings to bring everyone together for updates and information and very specialized learning events for our members through our Affinity Program.