• Obtaining authoritative information on UK & mainland Europe waste management facilities by commissioning independent audits.
• The provision of one stop access to on-line information on waste site licences from the Environment Agency.
• Sharing waste management best practice and ongoing dialogue with the waste industry key stakeholders.
  

The Association also develops waste management e learning training materials for its members that can be delivered by CD ROM or through the member's intranet or Learning Management System.

Why Join the WFAA?

Membership of the WFAA saves costs & valuable staff resource time. The same waste facilities are common to many wastes producers. It is costly and resource intensive for waste producers and waste management companies to have these waste sites reviewed individually.

It saves time - member companies often do not have the internal resources or internal expertise to devote to sufficiently comprehensive auditing of waste facilities. Hence, member company staff time can be spent more effectively on more important core business issues.

It provides objective expertise - WFAA audits are undertaken by industry experts; the use of such expertise is the main argument in favour of using WFAA instead of members' own internal resources. The facility report is based upon a detailed audit questionnaire and undertaken by experience professionals, with an understanding of waste management technology. It can contribute to superior waste disposal practices by encouraging waste industry best practice.

How much will it cost?

Each member pays an annual fee of £1,200 to cover the administration of the Association.

The WFAA also operates two three-year rolling core audit programmes:

1. The UK programme which provides each participating member with a minimum of 15 UK audit reports per year at an annual cost of £1,600.
2. The mainland Europe programme which provides each participating member with a minimum of 10 mainland Europe audit reports per year at an annual cost of £2,000.

The waste facilities included within the rolling audit programme are reviewed and agreed with the members each year.

Members can commission other audits; the cost of each facility audit is shared proportionally between the members who commission it. Currently, each facility audit has a set price of £2,000 no matter what size or complexity. Frequently audits are shared between three to four members- although some have been shared by up to ten. This gives an average price of £500 per audit report.

Existing audit reports can also be purchased by existing and new members at a cost agreed by the WFAA Steering Group. A listing of the current audit reports can be viewed on the WFAA web site (Existing Audits).

New members receive two existing audit reports as part of the first years membership fee.

What deliverables will I get for becoming a member?

Comprehensive audit reports on UK and mainland Europe waste facilities. The audit reports are based on a detailed questionnaire developed by the members. The audit questionnaire addresses the following topics:

• Facility Information
• Regulatory Compliance
• Insurance Provision
• Financial Information
• Management Systems
• Community Affairs
• Facility Operation
• Environmental Setting
• Security
• Facility Design

Access to and participation in e learning courses tailored to meet the requirements of the Associations members. These courses are developed as generic content that can then be re-branded to meet specific members company requirements.

The opportunity to share your waste management issues with other waste producing companies.

Attendance at regular member meetings which as well as covering formal Association business also usually include a presentation by one of the member companies or an external guest speaker on a subject of interest to the members. In addition one meeting/workshop is held every 18 months to include technical presentations by guest speakers, member organisations and regulatory organisations on topics of interest to the members.

How does WFAA operate?

The WFAA operates through a Steering Group and a Secretariat. The Steering Group comprises up to six of the member companies appointed by the members. The Steering Group meets on a regular basis to discuss Association business, arrange technical events for the members and put forward recommendations for discussion at the member meetings.

The Association is administered by a full time Secretariat. The Secretariat is responsible for the Association finances, day-to-day administration, maintaining a database of waste facilities and audit reports, managing the Association's audit & training programmes on behalf of the membership and liaising with the WFAA's legal advisors and service contractors.

International environmental consultants are retained to undertake the audits of the waste facilities.

What does applying for membership involve?

Prospective new members complete an application form and submit information on any significant commercial interests in waste handling, treatment and disposal, which they may have.

Click here for an on line application form

Once approved for membership, new members are asked to submit to the Secretary a list of waste facilities used by their organisation. These waste facilities are then entered onto the WFAA database and used to prepare member reports and compare commonality of usage between member companies. The data base information is confidential to the WFAA Secretariat and is not made available to the other members other than in format that does not identify which members use a particular waste facility.