Paul van der Werf with The Mayor
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 ow celebrating its' 10th
year anniversary 2cg Inc., with offices in London and Edmonton, has carved out a national
and international niche providing waste diversion expertise. Since its start as an
environmental consultancy that provided primarily composting expertise, the company has
grown and now also provides waste characterization, recycling and training
services.
Owner and President Paul van der Werf has over 14 years experience in the waste
management industry. He's a recognized composting and recycling expert and was accepted
as waste management and waste diversion expert witness at a recent Ontario Municipal
Board hearing.
2cg's philosophy is to move beyond book knowledge and to capitalize on its significant
hands-on experience to provide relevant and meaningful experience to those waiting to
start or revise waste diversion programs. Some of 2cg's more notable projects have
included: helping Lake Louise redefine its recycling program; teaching students from
Newfoundland to Vancouver Island how to compost; working with a nuclear power plant to
characterize its non-hazardous wastes; working with various Ontario municipalities to
better recycle plastics; helping the Irish government devise a marketing plan for
compost; and, working with clients from Edmonton to Prince Edward Island to better
operate composting facilities.
Says van der Werf, "We are grateful for the opportunities afforded to us in our first ten
years and look forward to the challenges and opportunities of the future."
KEY LEARNINGS OVER PAST TEN YEARS
- Just because you are managing waste does not mean it needs to be
messy.
- Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty. Doing waste audits or managing
a composting facility serves as a really good way of keeping you connected to how waste
is generated and how it can be diverted.
- Working with committed people can make an industry grow. The composting
industry started small in the early 90s and has grown steadily since then - in Canada and
Ireland.
- There are many simple and inexpensive opportunities for people to
divert wastes.
- Practice what you preach - You can't advise people about diverting
wastes if you don't yourself.
- Don't preach. Waste diversion is not always a given - It needs to make
sense environmentally, socially and economically.
- It does make a difference. Waste diversion allows you to manage your
waste disposal resources and put in there only what needs to go in there.
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