Solid Waste Management Training

About This Course

Rapid urbanisation, population growth, and increasing consumption patterns are placing enormous pressure on waste management systems across Africa, the Middle East, and beyond. Municipalities, industries, and development organisations face mounting challenges in managing solid waste in ways that are cost-effective, environmentally sound, and socially acceptable. Poor waste management contributes directly to public health crises, environmental degradation, and the loss of valuable recyclable and recoverable materials.

The Solid Waste Management Training programme offered by TrainingComplex is a comprehensive five-day course designed to build practical, strategic, and technical capacity in waste management professionals. Drawing on globally recognised frameworks including the waste hierarchy, circular economy principles, and integrated solid waste management (ISWM) approaches, the course bridges theory and real-world application.

Participants will gain a thorough understanding of waste characterisation, collection system design, transfer and transport logistics, treatment technologies, sanitary landfill management, and the regulatory and policy environment. Equally important, the course covers the social and institutional dimensions of waste management — including community participation, informal sector integration, and stakeholder communication — that are so often the determining factors of programme success or failure.

Whether you are a municipal officer, environmental consultant, NGO programme manager, or corporate sustainability professional, this training will sharpen your ability to design better systems, make informed investment decisions, and lead change in your organisation or community.

Who Should Attend

• Municipal and local government solid waste officers and managers
• Environmental health officers and public health practitioners
• Environmental consultants and sustainability advisors
• NGO and development organisation programme staff working in sanitation and environment
• Corporate environmental, health, and safety (EHS) managers
• Civil and environmental engineers involved in infrastructure planning
• Waste and recycling facility operators and supervisors
• Policy analysts and planners in environment and urban development ministries
• Community development practitioners involved in sanitation programmes
• Donor-funded project managers overseeing waste-related interventions

Learning Objectives

• Explain the principles of integrated solid waste management and the waste management hierarchy
• Conduct or interpret solid waste characterisation studies to inform system design
• Design efficient and cost-effective waste collection, transfer, and transport systems
• Evaluate appropriate treatment technologies including composting, anaerobic digestion, and waste-to-energy options
• Apply sanitary landfill design and operational standards to minimise environmental impact
• Navigate relevant national and international regulatory frameworks and environmental standards
• Develop strategies for integrating the informal waste sector and engaging communities
• Apply circular economy and resource recovery principles to reduce waste generation
• Design monitoring and evaluation frameworks for solid waste management programmes
• Prepare a solid waste management plan aligned with organisational or municipal needs

Course Modules

Requirements & Prerequisites

Participants should have a basic understanding of environmental management, public health, or urban infrastructure. Prior experience working in a role related to sanitation, waste management, environmental compliance, or community development is recommended. No advanced technical qualifications are required, as the course is designed to be accessible to professionals from both technical and non-technical backgrounds.

Training Methodology

• Waste characterisation exercises using sample data sets to identify waste stream composition and inform planning decisions
• Case studies drawn from African and Middle Eastern municipal solid waste programmes, including both successes and failures
• Site layout and system design workshops where participants plan collection routes, transfer stations, and landfill cells
• Regulatory mapping exercises in which participants analyse national waste legislation and identify compliance gaps
• Group scenario simulations involving community consultation, stakeholder conflict resolution, and informal sector negotiations
• Comparative technology assessment sessions where participants evaluate composting, anaerobic digestion, and waste-to-energy options against local context criteria
• Peer-reviewed action planning sessions where each participant drafts a contextualised solid waste management plan for their organisation or municipality
• Field-based video case studies illustrating best practices in landfill operation, transfer station management, and recycling facility design
• Interactive monitoring and evaluation framework design using logical frameworks and key performance indicators relevant to waste programmes
• Facilitated reflective discussions connecting course content to participants' specific operational challenges and institutional contexts

Organisational Benefits

• Improved design and delivery of waste collection and disposal services, reducing costs and service gaps
• Stronger compliance with environmental regulations, reducing legal and reputational risk
• Enhanced capacity to evaluate and implement appropriate waste treatment technologies
• Greater integration of resource recovery and recycling, generating potential revenue streams
• Better stakeholder engagement and community participation, improving programme acceptance
• Reduced environmental and public health impacts from improper waste disposal
• Improved data collection and reporting systems for evidence-based decision-making
• Strengthened ability to access climate finance and development funding for waste projects
• More effective partnerships between municipalities, the private sector, and civil society
• Organisational credibility in environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility

Where Is Solid Waste Management Training Offered?

This course runs in-person across: Pretoria, Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru, Dubai, Arusha, Abuja, Addis Ababa, Zanzibar, Accra, Kigali, Riyadh, Cape Town, Lagos, Kampala, Mombasa, Naivasha, Johannesburg, Dar es Salaam, plus Live Virtual (online) cohorts. Browse live dates for your city below.

Upcoming Schedules

+227 more dates — view live schedule →

Frequently Asked Questions