Feature -- by Mark Sproxton

The seagulls are a dead giveaway. So too are the stream of trucks lining up at the gates and the gigantic bulldozer rolling back and forth. The smell is another issue altogether. To the ordinary person, landfills are pretty simple. You go, empty out the back of your truck and let the person driving the heavy equipment bury the waste at the end of the day.

What's most often missed, is the complexity of building, designing, operating and filling a landfill, and the number of potential employment opportunities that exist as a result. "Generally, I don't think the public understands the various opportunities available in waste management," said Steve Wyton, Special Projects Engineer with the City of Calgary's Solid Waste Services. "Most people think only of the garbage collectors and truck operators, because that is the most visible part of our business. This opinion is also expressed by professional engineers that come to work for us... they did not realize the varied type of work that falls under our umbrella."

The opportunities existing in waste management begin closer to home than many imagine. Weekly, in back alleys across the city, garbage collectors head out picking up all sorts of solid wastes. Everything from worn-out clothes, to empty food containers, to vegetables more resembling science projects are gathered by folks operating the City of Calgary's fleet of 120 trucks.

While some of the trucks are two-person units, others require only one person, explained Darren Martin, a head engineer with the City of Calgary's Solid Waste Services division. Regardless, all workers must meet the same requirements, including having an air brake endorsement and a Class 3 driver's licence -- although a Class 5 is suitable for the time being, Martin said. Inoculations to prevent disease may also be required. Those on the two person units will take turns driving and "throwing" before heading to the landfill to dump their load. They typically work 6:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Overseeing the collection side of waste management workers are foreman. The city has 10 collection foreman, each responsible for looking after 12 trucks and the waste collectors. These foremen also take on administrative, leadership and communication roles. Experience on the trucks is key to these positions, Martin said.

At the landfill, the truck is unloaded into a specialized trash compactor where a landfill operator works his magic to make the load as small as possible. The trash compactor is unique so most of the operator's training comes from hands-on experience, but holding a heavy equipment operator's ticket will help someone move into this line of work, Martin said. All landfills require bulldozer operators to move dirt overtop the waste at the end of each day.

Disposal foreman are charged with operating and running a landfill, ensuring all applicable regulations are followed. Provincial certification is required for these positions, and by 2001 all landfill foremen and supervisors will have to have similar certification. Technical training through the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), in courses such as landfill management, or collection and transfer, is most often required.

But before all these folks can ply their skills and knowledge, there has to be somewhere to put the trash. The design and construction of landfills requires the skills and knowledge of construction engineers, drafts people to prepare drawings with help from technicians, and numerous types of construction workers. Currently, there are three existing City-owned landfills in Calgary that were designed and built years ago. Every one to two years, however, a new trench, or place to put the waste, has to be constructed. This trench is lined, and is about the size of 10 football fields, said Wyton. Factors such as location to the groundwater table, distance to bedrock and the soil conditions in the area have to be factored in when building a new trench, he said. Each landfill and each trench has to have its plans approved by Alberta Environment.

Chemical Waste and Industrial Waste engineers will also have input into landfills determining how different types of waste can and can't be mixed, Martin said. "For instance, we can't landfill hazardous waste." And a hydrogeologist will play a role in drilling wells and putting in pipes around the landfill to allow for monitoring of the ground water in the area. "We monitor that to make sure no "garbage juice" is getting into the water," said Martin.

And then comes the issue of recycling. "A large portion of the work also includes the minimization of disposed waste via our recycling program," Wyton added. In addition to the more typical programs of recycling glass, cardboard and paper other items collected at city landfills include oil, car batteries, propane tanks, carpet, mattresses, white goods (fridges, stoves,etc.), tires, lumber, paint and antifreeze.

Landfill workers also are always looking at "landfill optimization technologies." One avenue currently being examined is a project with the University of Calgary trying to determine the possibility of collecting methane gas produce by landfills, and turning it into a fuel source. This type of thinking may alter future employment opportunities. "Due to the fact that there is an ever increasing emphasis placed on the environment, our field, landfilling and waste management, is becoming more and more technical," Wyton said. "Therefore, we may see a shift in staff qualities and requirements to the more technical fields, such as a larger need for technicians or engineers." Regardless, people will always be needed to help dispose of solid waste.