Organised by the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA), the Landfill and Waste Treatment Interest Group (LAWTIG) and Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (Gigsa), Landfill 2015 will offer delegates the opportunity to be at the forefront of the latest waste management techniques and developments, as well as brushing shoulders and sharing ideas with leaders in the landfill and alternative waste treatment industries.
"We are very excited to be hosting Landfill 2015 in the Western Cape this year. Landfill construction and operations; waste transportation; civil and geotechnical engineering; geosynthetics; waste compaction; waste treatment equipment; refuse derived fuels; waste to energy plants and funding models are just some of the thought-provoking topics up for discussion during this year's conference," says Pieter Kriel, chairman of LAWTIG.
Warren Hornsey, professional civil engineer with experience in Africa, UK and Australia, will be speaking about Australian landfill regulations and how they compare to South African regulations. He will also touch on the impact these regulations have on geosynthetic development.
Hornsey is the director of TRI Australasia, an independent geosynthetic testing and analysis laboratory, based on the Gold Coast in Queensland. He is directly responsible for all geosynthetic testing and support in the Australasian region. His current role means he is involved with landfill quality assurance on a daily basis and has regular interaction with regulators, designers, installers and manufactures on landfill matters.
His presentation will give an insight into the development of landfill regulations in Australia and how they vary between autonomous states based on different philosophical views of the state's responsibly to protect the environment. A broad overview of each state's regulation will be presented highlighting their strengths and limitations.
Dr Andrew Taylor will be discussing the topic of bio-gas power generation in the South African context. Taylor is a specialist in the fields of alternative fuels and power machinery, particularly engines used for electric power generation. He has expertise in a range of technologies for the transformation of various forms of bio-mass into usable fuel or energy, and the production of natural fertiliser as a by-product.
Taylor's presentation will shed light on the unique approach needed towards establishing bio-gas generation projects in South Africa while facing a combination of challenges that include low electricity costs, limited investment capital, high interest rates, electricity insecurity and denial of access to the national power grid.
Local technical solutions addressing the low electricity cost, limited investment capital and high interest rates have been developed and implemented at a number of project sites, and one of these projects - at a large scale dairy farm - will be presented and discussed. Some of the reasons for this project being feasible are highlighted and discussed together with the operational experience from the plant.
"The speakers lined up for Landfill 2015 will share pertinent information regarding waste treatment and engineered landfill environment - it is a must attend for all operating in the waste industry," concludes Kriel.
