Waste Stories 14/9/2015

 P1000546

1.American Public Health Association annual meeting and exposition (Oct 31 – Nov 4)

APHA’s Annual Meeting & Exposition is where public health professionals convene, learn, network and engage with peers. With the Annual Meeting, we strengthen the profession of public health, share the latest research and information, promote best practices and advocate for public health issues and policies grounded in research.

See details here: APHA 2015 meeting and exposition

2. Municipal waste incinerators and ambient air quality

This study aimed to fingerprint emissions from six municipal waste incinerators (MWIs) and then test if these fingerprint ratios could be found in ambient air samples. Stack emissions tests from MWIs comprised As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Mn, Ni, V and Hg. The six UK MWIs studied contributed little to ambient PM10 concentrations.

Read the article here: incinerators and air quality

3. Joint Healthcare Waste and Resources Research Group and ISWA International conference (sponsored by Grundon Waste Management)

In conjunction with the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), the Group will be hosting an international conference on April 14 and 15, 2016. It will be held at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. Topics to be covered will include current and emerging technologies, sustainability and preparing for emergencies.

The draft programme can be found here: Draft schedule (Sept 2015)

Sponsors include: Daniels Sharpsmart, Econix, GV Health, Frontier Medical Group and ISS Ltd. (Please contact Terry Tudor: terry.tudor@northampton.ac.uk, if you wish to sponsor)

Booking details for early bird registration can be found here: healthcare waste 2016 conference

4. Defra summary paper on reducing barriers in the reuse and repair sectors

Last November Defra issued a discussion paper seeking information on where the definition of waste may have acted as a barrier to re-use, and suggestions for changes related to this which might support growth in the re-use and repair sectors. A summary of the main issues raised in those responses is now available.

As the paper explains, a working group has been established bringing together relevant government departments, UK regulators, WRAP, and representatives from a range of key sectors. The group is looking at ways to encourage re-use and repair activities while maintaining effective regulation of waste. The paper includes contact details for anyone interested in receiving updates on the group’s activities or feeding into proposals emerging from the group and can be found here: Definition of Waste discussion paper_Summary of Responses

Lewis Baker: Resource Efficiency team – Defra

5. Smart interventions crucial to drive circular approach, says CIWM

Smart interventions at the production, consumption and disposal stages are essential to drive a more circular approach says CIWM.

Read the CIWM response here: CIWM response to circular economy