Suffolk waste head elected as NAWDO chair

Suffolk county councils head of waste and former LARAC board member Steve Palfrey has been elected as chair of the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers (NAWDO).

Mr Palfrey replaces the London borough of Bromleys head of waste services John Woodruff at the helm of the organisation, after his four years in the post.

NAWDO represents senior waste managers working in England and Wales and has around 185 members within the sector. Its primary function is to advise on policy and to share information and expertise between waste disposal officers.

Mr Palfreys election to the post was confirmed at NAWDOs annual general meeting on July 3. Kerry Moore, waste strategy & commissioning manager for Warwickshire county council was elected as the organisations vice chair.

Appointed as head of waste at Suffolk county council in 2011, Mr Palfrey previously worked as waste services manager at Somerset county council, as well as stints at Dorset and Essex councils.

Experience

A former recycling officer of the year Mr Palfrey was a key figure in the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committees executive committee up until 2004 when he left the body.

Commenting on his election, Mr Palfrey, said: I am delighted to be elected as Chair of NAWDO. Throughout my career in four waste disposal authorities I have always valued the way in which best practice is shared across the Associations membership.

NAWDO also plays a key role in representing the views of its members to policy-makers and the industry and we are always keen to play our part in moving the sector forward a great example of this was NAWDOs input into the recent TEEP Route Map, which is of benefit to all local authorities.

I would like to thank our outgoing chair, John Woodruff from Bromley, who led the Association for four years and through some challenging times – he will be a hard act to follow. I am keen to build on our work with other organisations to drive waste and resource management forwards.

Policy

Mr Woodruff is set to remain a key figure within NAWDO, and will continue to contribute to the development of policy as a member of the organisations advisory committee. A well known figure within the waste sector, he has been outspoken on issues including TEEP and WEEE regulations.

Commenting on his time in the top position at the organisation, Mr Woodruff said: It has been a challenging and interesting time for waste over the last four years, and I have thoroughly enjoyed being chair of NAWDO, largely due to the enthusiasm and knowledge of our members. I wish Steve all the best for moving the organisation further forward in the future.