Solid Waste Management Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Environmental Managers, HSE Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-EM-078

Before you join: Participants should have basic familiarity with workplace environmental, health and safety or facilities operations.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Poorly managed solid waste creates direct safety, environmental, financial and reputational exposure. Overflowing storage areas, weak segregation, uncontrolled contractor handovers and incomplete records can lead to fires, injuries, pollution, community complaints and non-compliance. For municipalities, industrial sites, hospitals, construction projects and large facilities, the challenge is to move waste safely and lawfully while reducing generation, disposal costs and dependence on landfill.

This course develops the practical knowledge required to design, supervise and improve solid waste management systems. Participants examine waste characterisation, generation measurement, segregation, storage, collection, transport, recycling, composting, thermal treatment and landfill controls. They apply the waste hierarchy, material flow analysis, risk assessment and performance indicators to realistic operational situations. The course also addresses contractor management, hazardous waste interfaces, documentation, incident response and compliance monitoring.

Teaching combines short technical briefings with facilitated case work, group exercises, waste-system simulations and structured application planning. Cases reflect municipal collection services, manufacturing plants, healthcare facilities, construction sites and commercial properties. Participants leave with a waste management plan structure, waste audit template, segregation and storage checklist, contractor evaluation criteria, performance dashboard and an improvement action plan for their own workplace.

The course is suited to professionals responsible for environmental performance, facilities, operations, health and safety, procurement or waste-service contracts. It is particularly useful where participants must improve source segregation, reduce disposal volumes, control waste contractors or prepare evidence for inspections and environmental management system reviews.

What you will be able to do

  • Assess waste streams using sampling plans, composition data and material flow analysis
  • Design segregation, storage and collection arrangements using the waste hierarchy
  • Prepare a site waste management plan with roles, controls and performance targets
  • Evaluate recycling, composting, thermal treatment and landfill options against defined criteria
  • Apply risk assessment controls to waste handling, storage, transport and contractor activities
  • Develop waste contractor specifications, monitoring requirements and corrective-action processes
  • Calculate waste generation, diversion, recycling and disposal performance indicators
  • Produce an implementation plan for measurable waste reduction and compliance improvement

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Ability to identify avoidable waste costs and recovery opportunities
  • Confidence to inspect waste storage and segregation arrangements
  • Practical evidence for environmental management and HSE responsibilities
  • Stronger capability to challenge waste contractor performance
  • Reusable methods for setting waste reduction targets and reporting results

For your organisation

  • Lower disposal volumes through improved prevention, segregation and material recovery
  • Clearer control of waste contractors, collection records and corrective actions
  • Reduced fire, spill, manual-handling and contamination risks at waste areas
  • More reliable evidence for inspections, ISO 14001 reviews and internal audits
  • Better waste data for budgets, procurement decisions and environmental reporting

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can explain waste-management responsibilities and establish a governance basis for site controls.

  • Municipal, commercial and industrial waste streams classified by source and hazard
  • Material flow analysis quantifies generation, storage, collection and treatment quantities
  • Waste hierarchy decisions distinguish prevention, reuse, recycling, recovery and disposal
  • Polluter-pays and extended producer responsibility principles shape programme responsibilities
  • Basel Convention controls for transboundary movements of hazardous waste
  • ISO 14001 aspects and impacts registers linked to waste controls

Participants can plan a waste audit and produce reliable waste-stream data.

  • Sampling plans define representative loads, locations, frequencies and chain of custody
  • Quartering and sorting methods produce defensible composition data
  • Generation-rate calculations use occupancy, production volume and seasonal variation
  • Density, moisture and calorific value measurements inform treatment selection
  • Data-quality objectives set precision, bias, completeness and comparability criteria
  • Mass-balance diagrams reconcile incoming materials, recovered outputs and disposal residues

Participants can design waste prevention and segregation arrangements for operational areas.

  • Waste prevention reviews identify purchasing, process and packaging reduction opportunities
  • Source segregation matrices assign materials to labelled collection streams
  • Colour coding, signage and container design reduce cross-contamination
  • Five-whys analysis identifies recurring contamination causes at collection points
  • Reusable packaging systems assessed against hygiene, logistics and return requirements
  • Behaviour-change communications connect waste rules with daily work routines

Participants can specify safe controls for waste storage, handling and internal movement.

  • Storage-area inspections assess access, drainage, containment, lighting and housekeeping
  • Fire-load assessment identifies combustible waste accumulation and ignition sources
  • Container compatibility prevents reactions, leaks and incompatible waste mixing
  • Manual-handling controls address lifting, wheeled bins and collection routes
  • Internal collection schedules match generation rates, capacity and hygiene requirements
  • Spill response procedures define isolation, containment, cleanup and reporting actions

Participants can manage waste-service providers through clear specifications, records and performance controls.

  • Service specifications define waste streams, frequencies, containers and collection standards
  • Duty-of-care records track waste handover, carrier authority and destination facilities
  • Contractor prequalification examines permits, competence, equipment and incident history
  • Chain-of-custody documentation supports traceability from collection through final treatment
  • Service-level indicators measure missed collections, contamination and response times
  • Corrective-action registers assign owners, deadlines, verification and closure evidence

Participants can assess material recovery options and improve recycling programme performance.

  • Material recovery facility processes separate paper, plastics, metals and glass
  • Commodity specifications determine acceptable contamination levels and bale quality
  • Recycling market assessment considers buyers, transport distance, price and end uses
  • Closed-loop procurement specifies recycled content, take-back clauses and packaging reduction
  • Organic waste routing distinguishes food waste, green waste and soiled materials
  • Diversion-rate calculations compare recovered materials against total generated waste

Participants can compare treatment technologies using waste characteristics, controls and operational constraints.

  • Composting process controls manage carbon-nitrogen ratio, moisture, aeration and temperature
  • Anaerobic digestion converts suitable organic waste into biogas and digestate
  • Refuse-derived fuel specifications address calorific value, moisture and chlorine content
  • Incineration systems control combustion, ash handling and flue-gas treatment
  • Technology screening compares feedstock suitability, emissions, cost and site requirements
  • Residue management plans address ash, digestate, rejects and contaminated materials

Participants can identify landfill risks and define controls for disposal facilities and interfaces.

  • Landfill cell design separates active tipping, cover placement and traffic routes
  • Leachate controls address collection, storage, treatment and discharge monitoring
  • Landfill gas management covers extraction, flaring, utilisation and migration control
  • Daily cover practices reduce litter, odour, vectors and fire risks
  • Groundwater monitoring networks detect potential releases from disposal areas
  • Closure and aftercare plans specify capping, monitoring and maintenance responsibilities

Participants can apply risk and compliance controls to routine and abnormal waste-management activities.

  • Task-based risk assessments address exposure, injury, fire and environmental release
  • Hazardous waste classification identifies properties requiring specialised handling controls
  • Compatibility charts prevent dangerous storage combinations and transport errors
  • Legal registers map permits, reporting duties, storage limits and inspection requirements
  • Incident investigation uses causal analysis, evidence records and corrective actions
  • Emergency response plans cover spills, fires, rejected loads and contractor failures

Participants can build a measured improvement plan for waste reduction, compliance and service performance.

  • Key performance indicators track generation, diversion, contamination, cost and incidents
  • Waste dashboards present trends by site, stream, department and contractor
  • Target-setting methods establish baselines, reduction goals, owners and review dates
  • Root-cause analysis prioritises recurring operational failures and improvement actions
  • Management review packs connect waste results with budget, risk and compliance decisions
  • Ninety-day action plans sequence controls, resources, communications and performance checks

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Site waste management plan template
  2. Waste audit and characterisation worksheet
  3. Segregation and storage inspection checklist
  4. Waste contractor evaluation scorecard
  5. Waste performance dashboard model
  6. Ninety-day waste improvement action plan

Who should attend

  • Environmental Managers — responsible for waste compliance, targets and management-system controls
  • HSE Managers — managing operational risks from waste storage, handling and disposal
  • Facilities Managers — overseeing waste services across buildings, campuses and estates
  • Operations Managers — reducing production waste and improving material-handling arrangements
  • Municipal Waste Officers — planning collection, recovery and disposal service improvements
  • Procurement and Contract Managers — specifying and monitoring waste-service providers

Skills and tools covered

Waste stream analysisSegregation system designWaste contractor controlTreatment option appraisalLandfill risk managementWaste performance reporting

Tools and standards

Waste Hierarchy, Material Flow Analysis, ISO 14001, Basel Convention

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to establish technical concepts, followed by case work drawn from municipal, industrial, healthcare and commercial settings. Participants interpret waste data, assess storage areas, compare treatment routes and review contractor performance evidence. Group exercises use waste audit findings, incident scenarios and procurement requirements to test decisions. Simulations examine collection failures, contamination and landfill diversion choices. Each participant completes structured application planning, translating course methods into priorities, controls and measures for their own workplace.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have basic familiarity with workplace environmental, health and safety or facilities operations. Experience of waste collection arrangements, contractor supervision, site inspections, production processes or environmental reporting is helpful. Participants should be able to interpret simple operational data and discuss responsibilities across departments and suppliers. No engineering degree, chemistry qualification or prior waste-specialist role is required. The course explains technical treatment options in operational terms, while expecting participants to contribute examples from their own site, service or organisation.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Basic familiarity with environmental, HSE, facilities or operational responsibilities is useful. You do not need prior waste-specialist experience, engineering qualifications or detailed knowledge of treatment technologies.

Bring examples of your waste procedures, contractor reports, waste data or recurring waste-management issues if you can share them. These materials are not mandatory, but they help you shape a more relevant application plan.

It suits environmental, HSE, facilities, operations, procurement and municipal professionals with responsibility for waste systems or service providers. It also suits managers who need to improve segregation, reduce disposal costs or strengthen compliance evidence.

This course addresses the full operational system for solid waste, from prevention and segregation through collection, treatment and landfill controls. Hazardous waste is addressed where it affects classification, compatibility and contractor controls, but it is not a specialist dangerous-goods course.

Participants can use the waste audit template, inspection checklist, contractor scorecard and performance dashboard immediately. The final application plan identifies priorities, responsible owners, measures and early actions for a specific site or service.

The programme provides approximately 32.5 contact hours, normally from 08:30 to 16:30 each day. Time is divided across ten modules covering assessment, controls, treatment options, contractor management, risk management and improvement planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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