The chance to meet and work together with talented and passionate people from all walks of life, to explore different landscapes, understand how they shape histories and cultures, is a great pleasure and a responsibility. I very much appreciate the diversity too: from stakeholder engagement to knowledge-transfer activities, facilitating training workshops to advocacy promoting environmental, social and governance issues. I began working on women’s empowerment topics in London when I was in my 20’s – once you see the impact even a small change can achieve, you can’t give up!
ISWA Women of Waste
Led by a technically and geographically diverse group of women experts, WOW! activities are based on scientific evidence and best practice solutions.
Our Mission and Objectives
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The WoW Task Force promotes the role and visibility of women at all levels of the solid waste sector globally by:
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Building a global network for women
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Conducting and disseminating research on women in the sector
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Strengthening the capacity of women waste workers and professionals through practical tools and training
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Advocating for safe workplaces and equal advancement opportunities for women
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Promoting rewarding careers in sustainable waste management to attract and retain more women in the sector
What inspired you/ your organisation to join ISWA, and how has ISWA helped in your career?
I first joined the ISWA Secretariat for some years when it was based in Vienna. I studied Climate Change and Sustainable Development at De Montfort University in the UK and, waste management, so it seemed to me, had a fascinating and little known potential to positively contribute to the international climate change mitigation strategies. As a communicator, ISWA and its events platform has an unrivalled opportunity for advocacy, to leverage and create dissemination activities with national waste associations, exhibition houses, universities, and companies.
It has been an ideal network for the ISWA Women of Waste Task Force, we built relationships with members and contacts, supporting their events as they have supported ours, and cross-pollinating different organisations, in productive and enduring partnerships. In this way we have been able to carry our message so far, but we have only touched the tip of the iceberg! The potential to reach out through the new Regional Chapters and National Members to a wider non-english speaking audience is very promising.
What are the biggest projects/ initiatives in waste management that your organisation has achieved so far?
It is hard to measure the impact of communication activities, but for sure the change is tangible. In 2016 Gali Feldboy, co-founder of WOW, asked an audience to google ‘engineer’ and at that time not one image of a female was returned. Today it is quite different, try it yourself! We have presented and published in Europe, the USA, the UK, in Asia, Africa and in the Caribbean. We have conducted two international surveys in multiple languages asking women about their working conditions and what they need to thrive. Led by Maria Tsakona, WOW TF Lead at GRID-Arendal, we supported the policy paper A Seat at the Table and a Capacity Building Toolkit for women in the informal recycling sector and campaigned for inclusion in the upcoming plastic pollution treaty at High-level Policy Meetings.
How can ISWA members collaborate more effectively to address shared challenges?
Credible business reports and analysis from legacy sectors such as oil, gas and steel, show that gender-inclusive policies in organisations can measurably boost profitability, competitiveness as well as environmental sustainability. Delila Khaled, WOW TF, in her white paper “THE WOMEN-WASTE-CLIMATE NEXUS” spotlights women waste entrepreneurs and innovators as key drivers in the transition to a circular economy.
So right across the spectrum there is strong evidence to support gender equity and empowerment of women in the solid waste sector. There is still so much potential to disseminate this know-how with ISWA members more directly. WOW would love to work more directly with National, Company and Organisational members and we can envisage local surveys, workshops, and collaborations. We welcome partnerships with other Working Groups to help steer and magnify WOW’s messages to new audiences. Our survey results point to a highly motivated female workforce, ambitious and eager for opportunities and experience. The ultimate aim of the WOW TF is, by supporting such women, to improve the SWM overall – its a win-win situation.
