Education:
Geography MA – St Andrews University
Environmental Management MSc – Stirling University
Current Job:
Waste Projects Officer
Employer:
Stirling Council
I contacted Waste Services at Stirling Council with when I was developing my Dissertation for my MSc. My dissertation was a comparison of recycling behaviour in two areas of Stirling Council and I worked with Waste Services during this time. A vacancy for a Waste Projects Officer became available towards the time I was just finishing my dissertation and I applied through the normal procedure. My previous experience working within the department as a student and my dissertation on the Stirling recycling system meant I was already very familiar with the department and the recycling system.
What’s a typical day like?
Every day is different as there are often several different projects going on at the same time. For example, ‘Bin Lids Down’ is an excess waste enforcement program, which means that we go out before the bin collection crews and check for bins that are presented with excess waste, meaning their lids cannot close. Another project is setting up the bins to be presented in a particular location for the collection vehicle to lift, which also involves an early start but this time staying with the collection crew during their route. However, a typical day might be coming in and first thing checking my emails and Eworks systems. Eworks is the system that the job lines are put on to from members of the public calling to the Council Contact Centre. These usually entail a visit to the person to ascertain their difficulty and to try and find a solution. As a Projects Officer I have specific projects that I also have to deal with, I have completed a large waste audit of waste streams for the civic amenity sites, building services and streetscape. My current projects include upgrading one of our Civic Amenity sites and the procurement of a new office for our Compost Controller.
Best bits of your job?
It really is a varied job and it is this variety that helps to keep you motivated. Additionally, in this area there are often tangible results to your work, for example seeing the behavioural and attitude change of the public in an area that you work in or the end product of an upgrade or procurement exercise.
Worst bits of your job?
The early starts! However, we share them around as much as possible. Sometimes we also come up against members of the public that are apathetic, or sometimes wholly opposed to what we are trying to achieve and this can be trying at times but these people are the exception.
What would you like to be doing in five years time?
I would like to further my education by doing a PhD, which I hope will look at recycling in Scotland in greater detail but is yet to be developed.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in waste management, prevention and recycling?
It is a very dynamic area as the legislation and targets are both challenging and ever changing. It is a good time to enter this area. I would say that if you can you should join an institute – such as the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) as these types of bodies can aid your professional development and will help keep you up to date with the changes in your sector.
