Waste Stories 9/3/2015

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1.Assistance with students

I have two students, who I would like to have some assistance with:

Kaouther Maaroufi is a second year PhD student in the Environmental Biomonitoring Laboratory (LBE), Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, University of Carthage, Tunisia. She will be spending April – June, 2015 with me. I would like to organise some site visits (treatment facilities, hospitals, etc.). As well as potentially for her to do some sampling of waste water from hospitals in London and outside of London, for pharmaceuticals or selected microbes.  If there’s anyone who would be willing for her to visit and/or to do some sampling, could you let me know by March 20 please?

Costanza Viani is a MSc student at Northampton. Her dissertation is looking at a comparative feasibility study on options for the sustainable management (primarily recycling) of used metal instruments, in England and Italy. If there’s anyone who would be willing to be interviewed or has any data that they would be willing to share, can you let me know?

2.Waste sector resilience workshop in Nottingham

Climate East Midlands waste resilience workshop

3.Secure return of unwanted medicines program

The King County Board of Health passed the Secure Medicine Return Regulations on June 20, 2013, establishing an industry – funded product stewardship model to collect and safely dispose of unwanted household medicines from residents of the county. Legislation was developed through a year-long process where a subcommittee of the Board consulted with stakeholders, examined barriers to medicine take-back in the county, and developed a proposed product stewardship policy which was adopted unanimously by the full Board.

Read more about the program here: King County medicine return program

4. Manchester to get devolved status for its health spend

Greater Manchester is to become the first English region to get full control of its health spending, as part of an extension of devolved powers. Chancellor George Osborne said the £6bn health and social care budget would be taken over by the region’s councils and health groups.

Read the story here: Manchester health devolution

5. CIWM workshops for full membership and chartered status

See listing here: CIWM chartered interview workshops

6. NHS funding in Europe

The NHS European Office chaired a session at the recent “Health is Wealth” event in Liverpool on EU funding, with speakers from the European Commission, Liverpool University and Liverpool Local Enterprise Partnership. The presentations are available for download and cover both Horizon 2020 and European Structural and Investment Funds, the two EU programmes of most relevance for the NHS. To discuss contact michael.wood@nhsconfed.org.

See funding here: NHS European funding