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A
Job To Love
Imagine arriving at your newest worksite
and seeing garbage blowing everywhere.
You notice sea gulls dragging plastic
bags across the road. It looks like
this rural community really does need
your expertise—for the next six
months, you’ll be helping to design
a better landfill. The first step will
be to select a new site, one that will
keep water, people, and animals safe
from contaminants. Then you’ll
create a new recycling program and teach
the community about better waste management.
You’ll also train a local person
to handle hazardous wastes. While your
next six months will be extremely busy,
they’ll also be rewarding. The
best part for you is knowing that your
work will make an immediate improvement
to the lives of the locals and the environment.
Waste
management directors develop programs
to minimize and control waste. They
work in offices and outdoors, on their
own and as part of a team. Aboriginal
waste management directors keep their
communities clean and safe by making
sure garbage dumps do not contaminate
the land, air, and water.
As
a waste management director, you really
make an impact on people’s lives—both
today and in the future. But the job
isn’t perfect. You’ll visit
smelly or contaminated sites, and
every day you’ll deal with the
effects of poor waste management.
This can be frustrating, especially
when people and companies don’t
want to change the way they deal with
waste. You’ll constantly be educating
people on better waste management
and they won’t always listen.
Then again, you might like the challenge
that comes with changing and improving
the way people think about their waste
habits.
Job
Description
Waste management directors develop programs
to deal with our waste, from planning
a recycling program to managing a landfill.
They work in storage, collection, treatment,
and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous
materials. For example, a waste management
director might develop a refrigerator-recycling
program in order to keep Chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs) from harming the earth’s
protective ozone layer, and polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) from causing cancer
and reproductive failure in animals
and humans. Waste management directors
work for many different kinds of companies,
including oil, gas, forestry, dry cleaning,
and photo-finishing companies. Waste
management directors also work for local
and provincial or territorial governments.
Job
Duties
- Design
systems to treat waste, including
garbage, recyclables, and waste
water
- Inspect
landfills for land and air quality
- Advise
landfill operators on how to manage
waste
- Investigate
people’s complaints about waste
management
- Work
with health officials to prevent
waste-related health problems
- Develop
recycling programs
- Find
new industrial uses for recycled
materials
- Design
systems to capture methane gas from
landfills and use the methane to
create electricity
- Take
sewage samples and recommend solutions
for any problems you find
Fact
Decomposing organic material in landfills
creates methane gas. Landfill sites
account for about 38 per cent of Canada’s
total methane emissions. Methane is
20 times more potent as a greenhouse
gas than carbon dioxide.
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High
school courses that will prepare you
for this job include biology, chemistry,
math, and English. Aboriginal studies,
history, and languages will prepare
you for working in a multi-cultural
setting. Talk to your career or academic
counsellor about options such as calculus,
geometry, physics, and computers.
The minimum education requirement for
a waste management director is a bachelor’s
degree in civil, sanitary or chemical
engineering or a related science. An
advanced degree will make you more competitive
in the job market and you’ll find
it easier to get a job and negotiate
your salary.
Before entering the workforce, waste
management directors might require training
in:
- Pollution
prevention
- Recycling
and waste reduction techniques
- Transportation
of dangerous goods
- Workplace
Hazardous Materials Information
System (WHMIS)
Admissions
to engineering programs are competitive.
Usually grades of 80 per cent or better
in math and sciences are required.
Look into specific high school pre-requisites
set by the university you would like
to attend.
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Waste
management directors with a bachelor’s
degree make an average of $55,000.00
per year.
Waste management directors with a
graduate degree make an average of
$78,000.00 per year.
Waste management directors with several
years of experience and education
make an average of $88,000.00 per
year.
Financial Assistance
In addition to the general scholarship
tips listed in the BUILD MY CAREER
section, the following awards are
specific to waste management directors:
CASTS scholarships for Canadian
Aboriginal students studying science
Contact: CASTS Scholarship
Committee
Treaty 7 Tribal Council
Suite 310-6940 Fisher Road SE
Calgary, AB
T2H 0W3
Telephone: (403) 258-1775
Fax: (403) 258-1811
email: casts@mail1.treaty7.org
website: www.casts.ca
Talisman Energy Native Award
$2,000.00 to Aboriginal students
studying earth sciences
Contact: SAIT Student Awards
Office
Room MA113
Heritage Hall Southern Alberta Institute
of Technology
1301 - 16th Avenue NW
Calgary, Alberta
T2M 0L4
Telephone: (403) 284-8858
Fax: (403) 284-8394
email: scholarships@sait.ab.ca
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Some
of the best knowledge you’ll
gain for this job will come from listening
to the stories and wisdom of your
relations. Ask your Elders how they
used the different pieces of plants
and animals. Did they use all of the
pieces? Do they still use all of the
pieces? Grow a garden with your family
and learn how to compost. The time
you spend outdoors will make your
studies easier and your experience
with the natural world will appeal
to employers.
Relate to people in similar jobs:
- Environmental
health officer
- Pollution
control technologist
- Recycled
materials handler
Relate
and interact with waste management
directors. Ask them what they like
about their jobs and how you should
get started.
Solid Waste Association of North
America
To find a local chapter:
Telephone: 1-800-467-9262
email: info@swana.org
website: www.swana.org
International Solid Waste Association
email: iswa@iswa.dk
website: www.iswa.org
Relate with other students. There
are Aboriginal student associations
and resource centers at most colleges
and universities. Visit these centres
to find out what they have to offer.
Also, look into community, friendship,
and multi-cultural centres.
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