As South Africa commemorates Women’s Month in August, the Institute of Waste Management South Africa (IWMSA) – National Member of ISWA for South Africa – hosted a webinar on Friday 12 August to celebrate women in the waste management sector. Opened by Mpendulo Ginindza, the president of IWMSA, and hosted by Patricia Schröder, IWMSA Vice President, who shared her own story of “confidence and grit” setting up a women-owned waste business; speakers included female engineers Jabulile Msiza, Pr Eng Director of Waste Engineering Jones & Wagener,
Rajas Pillay Director of Human Resources Interwaste and Belinda Putterill Founder of Use-It! sharing their experiences and aspirations. ISWA Women of Waste Task Force Coordinator Georgina Nitzsche teamed with Ieva Rucevska of Grid-Arendal and WOW! advisory network member, for a tandem talk entitled: Women & the Plastic Pollution Problem – from peon to partner, promoting their upcoming policy paper on Plastic Pollution and the Informal Recyling Sector.
The speakers were both stimulating and informative and the event was highly inspirational with more women joining online from around South African and as far away as Japan! You can watch, learn and enjoy the two-hour recorded webinar here.
Women Of Waste (WOW!)
Task Force
Women make a strong contribution to the solid waste management sector and circular economy, both from the home front and at work as engineers, collectors, recyclers. There are women pioneers, activists, researchers, policymakers, as well as high-level managers and ministers of government – women are out there, but just not very visible.
