Australian waste management blog launched

A waste management blog has been launched by Australian waste technology and consulting company Mandalay Technologies. The blog, ‘A Good Sense of Waste’ (www.mandalaytechnologies.com.au/blog), is designed to connect people in waste management around Australia and to provide a forum where people can share knowledge and practice, discuss ideas, and debate and comment upon issues affecting the industry. A blog is a type of website that features regular entries or articles (called posts), normally about a particular subject. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is one of its key features, as this allows conversations or debates to occur around particular articles, often highlighting ‘hot topics’ among readers. Mandalay established the blog after conducting extensive research into how and where waste management people obtain information, their communication habits, and to fill the gap that exists between conferences. They found that ongoing opportunities for people to exchange knowledge and talk to each other are limited, particularly for people that don’t or can’t attend industry conferences. The blog’s administrator, Jane McCrory, said "in our research and general conversation a strong theme emerged – waste managers want to talk to each other, to learn about what others are doing and to share their experience and expertise". "The blog is the perfect vehicle to share information – free, accessible, and easy to use" she says. Posts so far have included the success of a one-bin collection system, gas extraction from landfill methods, an ongoing debate about the place of AWTs, and an NGERs help guide. Posts are written by a range of contributors from across the industry, from regional council waste managers to representatives from private waste companies, suppliers and industry bodies. A monthly e-newsletter containing the highlights of the past month’s posts is sent to Mandalay’s database of readers throughout Australia. Blog feedback has been very positive so far. McCrory said that although the blog is in its infancy, with more interesting and quality articles from a variety of contributors it will continue to grow in relevance and popularity. For more information about the blog, to subscribe to the monthly news, or to discuss becoming a contributor, please contact Jane McCrory at jmccrory@mandalaytech.com or call on (07) 3010 7900. www.mandalaytechnologies.com.au/blog