Like it or not, solid waste is something every county in Kentucky has to deal with at some point. A Nov. 14 workshop aims to bring together teams from Kentucky counties to develop overall educational strategies for targeting solid waste issues.“This workshop is for county solid waste coordinators, county Extension agents and paraprofessionals, elected officials, environmental and natural resource professionals, volunteer leaders and formal and non-formal educators,” said Amanda Abnee, Extension associate for environmental and natural resource issues for the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. “We want to stress that all of those people are important in the education process in their counties.”The one-day workshop will address several objectives. Abnee said facilitators want to develop an understanding of the need for solid waste education in Kentucky and build partnerships that will strengthen networks for solid waste education.“Participants will also gain a better understanding of specific solid waste issues like litter, hazardous waste, waste tires, white goods, etc.,” she said. “We also hope they will be able to recognize the components of an effective education and outreach program and then be able to develop and improve their skills to deliver these components.”During the workshop, each team will identify a target issue in their county and develop a county plan to address the issue through education and outreach. The team will identify resources available to help them implement the county plan.“After the workshop, we’ll encourage county teams to implement their strategies back home,” Abnee said. “We’ll establish a network e-mail listserv of all the participants and use that to gather feedback, share ideas and progress, and pose questions and challenges for assistance.”The workshop will begin at 9 a.m. EDT at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington. To register online go to http://www.ca.uky.edu/enri/ and click on Solid Waste Workshop Information or call Abnee at (859) 257-6094 for more information. To book a room at the Marriott, call (859) 231-5100 and request a room in the Solid Waste Workshop block.