WasteMINZ Conference 2004 - a passionate
affair
Sarah Knowles
It began with a touch of
Sex and the City and ended with respectable folk being
disgorged from
casino bars at unseemly
hours of the morning; but there was plenty of visionary
discussion about waste minimisation in between.
This
year’s WasteMINZ Conference, held in Auckland
from 9 – 11 November, was the most popular
yet. Almost
500 waste minimisation experts and devotees converged
on the Sky City Convention Centre for three days
of waste related activity.
Field trips on Tuesday
afternoon provided the
opportunity to see some of
Auckland’s premiere waste
destinations as well as to
network with like-minded
people.
International speakers
spiced up the plenary sessions
on Wednesday morning.
Sheree Marris of Vision of Blue,
Victoria, kicked the conference
off to a steamy start with her
talk on ‘sex under the sea’.
Her lesson
on the powers of seduction beneath the ocean
led to a powerful message on
the role of mass marketing and
consumerism in generating
waste. Craig Dufficy of the
US Environmental Protection
Agency and Brian Richards of Lifeafterwaste gave
inspiring presentations.
With close to 50 papers
presented, including several keynote speakers from Australia
and the US, it was a fantastic opportunity to catch up
on
innovations in the industry and to debate new ways of
addressing old issues. For some it was just a comfort
to
confirm they were ‘on track’ and to see that
others shared
their enthusiasm.
The
diversity of papers was impressive. Where else could
you learn about everything from the application
of
biosolids onto forests, to new linguistic drills designed
to
penetrate the psychology of waste management? And where
else could you expertly finger GAP 40 while waiting on
a
fresh-pressed flat white?
Many
conference-goers made the most of what Auckland has to
offer. One presenter – unfazed by the Auckland
traffic–
coolly opened his laptop and put the finishing touches
on his presentation while stuck in a queue. Rumour
has it
that one or two gentlemen (visitors from the Hawke’s
Bay?)
were even seen slipping away from the proceedings for
a
furtive flutter in the casino.Apparently, the odds of
a win
on the tables were better than
the odds of finding your car in
the Sky City car park – as those
of us who trotted several laps in
high heels after forgetting to fill
out the little slip can testify.
The
most popular field trip was an evening at the zoo.
Hundreds enjoyed sipping
champagne while a band
played in the rotunda and
peacocks strutted amongst the
crowd.
The awards dinner at
Eden Park was also a glam
affair. MC Jim Hopkins did his
best to lower the tone, mocking
excerpts from passionately
delivered papers and casting
doubt on the moral character
of several attendees. With 30
varieties of fine local wine to
choose from, the dance floor
was soon pumping.
The award for Best Written
Paper went to Stuart Gane
of Manukau City Council. Stuart won $500 for his paper
on ‘
Issues and risks to be managed in establishing Auckland
regional domestic food waste composting’. Sulo
and Rotaform
were judged Best Trade Exhibit.
The
17th annual conference will be held in Rotorua in
2005. By then, some of us may have mastered the art
of saying“
We refute that we refuse refuse that is refused by
the refuge for
reformed refugees.” And until then, may the passion
continue.
WasteMINZ thanks
our conference sponsors:
EnviroWaste |
Tonkin & Taylor |
Perry Environmental |
ChemWaste |
MetroWaste |
MWH |
MFE |
Waste Management |
| Salters Cartage |
Tredi New Zeland Ltd |
Electric Hedgehog |
dbreweries |
|
