Miss Karen Anderson MCIWM
West Lothian Council
Karen started her waste management career in 1986 (hard to believe !!!) as a trainee Cleansing Officer with Renfrew District Council. She trained for three years in all aspects related to municipal waste management including engineering (incineration) and transport. This was supplemented by a three year course at Stow College Glasgow where she attained an HNC in waste management and won the James Sumner Award. After a short spell as a cleansing technical officer she then moved to Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council where she took up the position of Cleansing Officer. Prior to reorganisation in 1996 Karen became Acting Assistant Director of Cleansing and Environmental Health and was then given the post of Assistant Operations Manager with East Ayrshire Council.
In 1997 Karen moved to West Lothian Council and is currently employed as Waste Manager there.
Karen has been an active member of the Chartered Institution of Waste Management since her career began and has been a Scottish Centre Councillor since 1998. She was the first female Chair elected to the Scottish Centre Council and held that position from 2004-2007.
She currently represent the Local Authority perspective of the Institute and has been a CoSLA link advisor for the past 6 years. This role led to a very active position in the negotiations at Scottish Executive and Ministerial Levels to assist in achieving the aspirations of Local Authorities and raise concerns over forthcoming challenges in legislation particularly those of the Landfill Directive.
Karen has two beautiful little girls Jessica and Emily who have been brought up using real nappies. (She's very sure that when Jessica grows up she will be very proud of all her pictures showing her real nappy clad bottom that have been used on bill boards throughout the country !)
In addition Karen would like to place on record that she had not even been born yet when George Niblock commenced his career with East Kilbride Council.