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By showcasing Sri Lanka's repatriation of hazardous hospital waste to the United Kingdom, this paper explores how the transboundary movement of waste management business model functions in the Global South. It builds on a framework that integrates the market and legal modes of accountability, regulatory capture, and an ethic of accountability. Data were collected using online ethnography and an interpretive case study method. The study demonstrates how the adherence to market and legal modes of accountability and the violation of an ethic of accountability have created loopholes for actors to capture regulatory and institutional provisions, making the transboundary waste management business redundant in the Global South. The traditional business model pursued in waste management has proved inadequate in realizing reciprocal societal rights and responsibilities and promoting public well-being. This has resulted in an erosion of public trust in government and state agencies. Thus, we argue that accountability-based accounting and the ethic of accountability can potentially mitigate the opportunities for regulatory capture, serve the public interests, and protect the ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the realm of municipal operations, the effective management of municipal solid waste (MSW) stands out as a pivotal undertaking. It necessitates substantial allocations of fixed and variable resources and financial investments. The bulk of these expenditures are associated with the operational facets encompassing waste collection, transportation, and disposal. This research delves into the examination of multiple Disposal Location Arc Routing Problems (LARP) while considering vehicle capacity limitations and the incorporation of waste segregation. The LARP model is designed to identify the optimal locations for depots and three waste disposal sites. The optimization objectives and constraints applied to the LARP model are geared toward enhancing waste collection efficiency and minimizing costs. Additionally, a triangular fuzzy parameter is introduced to represent the demand. To put this model to the test, a real-world case study in the UK is explored to evaluate its performance and practicality. Finally, a series of sensitivity analyses are conducted, offering valuable managerial insights under varying conditions. The inclusion of waste segregation in this waste management model holds considerable significance for managers. This is particularly relevant because it proposes a more effective strategy for waste management when dealing with diverse types of waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of radioactive waste management, particularly the geological disposal of higher activity radioactive waste, support for the longevity of engineering solutions in the repository is partly based on studies of natural systems, especially geological examples, often referred to as natural analogues (NA). Since the radioactive waste can be hazardous over hundreds of thousands of years, the long-term safety has to be assessed to very far future, e.g. up to 1 Ma from now. NA studies cover and exceed the time spans of interest. Despite of the long-acknowledged importance of NAs in the safety case for the geological disposal of radioactive waste, there is a lack of guidance and strategic planning to incorporate this information to the safety cases that assess the overall safety of the repositories – this leads to a certain lack of resilience. This paper presents the work undertaken to develop a strategy for utilising natural analogues (NAs) in Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), UK, geological disposal facility (GDF) programme. The work is largely based on the extensive review of the strategic use of NAs in the international context, lessons learnt from various past programmes and by considering how the strategy could look like in the current framework of the UK's GDF programme. The strategy presented aims to support this programme. The main message is that NA information and projects can and should be handled through the same procedures as any research utilising existing and upcoming NWS protocols. This means that NAs need to be a part of knowledge management, rather than, for example, a stagnant database. Including NAs as part of the data screening allows the knowledge base to be updated according to needs arising from the changes in the GDF programme when moving from generic stage towards more site and design specific phases. It is foreseen that key to the best utilisation of NA information is to include it in the NWS' digital safety case, making the information and the related methodology transparent. This paper refers to NWS' GDF siting programme as at September 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E‐waste generation is rising apace, and it is estimated that e‐waste production could reach 74.7 Mt by 2030. Hence, it is essential to develop tactics and methodologies for the formal management and treatment of e‐waste. The implementation of the concepts of a circular economy (CE) has been perceived as an efficient methodology for the efficacious management of such waste; however, the transition process from the linear economy to CE still involves several barriers. There are only a few studies that have integrated the concept of CE with e‐waste management for sustainability. This study will focus on the UK's household e‐waste management sector to identify and analyze the key barriers that impede the transition of the UK's e‐waste management sector to the CE model. For this purpose, a team of experts was formulated and their expertise was captured using the Decision‐making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) methodology. The DEMATEL technique employs critical evaluation principles, measures the weights of the evaluation criteria, and helps in finding the most critical barriers through a visual structural model. The DEMATEL method also categorizes the factors into cause‐and‐effect groups and utilizes a visualization model to simplify the interdependence and intensity of the impacts of the various factors. The results revealed that the "Lack of processing technologies," "Lack of returns and profits," "Lack of expert knowledge," "Lack of effective guidance and standards for the proper collection methods," and "Lack of proper knowledge" are the most significant barriers obstructing the adoption of CE in the management of e‐waste in the United Kingdom. Thus, the government needs to take strong actions to give financial support in terms of incentives to the stakeholders for effective e‐waste handling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Recommended and newer techniques of pharmaceutical waste management are presented. • Pharmaceutical waste generation, disposal and management techniques are discussed. • Objective evaluation of sustainability and eco-friendliness profiles is discussed. Most households and healthcare facilities usually dispose of contaminated, unused, or expired (CUE) medicines with municipal wastes, the disposal of which usually amounts to $790/ton in the USA and £450/ton in the UK. Solid (e.g., tablets, capsules, powders) and semi-solid (e.g., ointment, creams) pharmaceuticals are managed with incineration/pyrolysis, encapsulation, and engineered landfills, whereas wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are recommended for liquid pharmaceutical wastes (PWs). However, to date, the sustainability and eco-friendliness profile of these techniques are only subjectively ensured, leading to controversial viewpoints in many guidelines. Each technique has relative strengths and weaknesses, and their comparative weighting to maximize these profiles is sought after. The present comprehensive review aims to fulfil knowledge gaps in this regard. Four electronic databases (e.g., PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and ScienceDirect) were searched for PW management (PWM)-related qualitative and quantitative articles published till December 31, 2022. Articles without details of waste disposal techniques and their health and environmental impacts were excluded. Based on the literature review, we determine that incineration can be considered a sustainable option for solid and semi-solid PWs, and WWTPs can be eco-friendly for liquid PWs, whereas encapsulation and landfilling are less sustainable. It is high time that objectively proven sustainable and eco-friendly techniques be implemented for PWM based on their dosage forms or nature of hazards. Medicine take-back, eco-pharmacovigilance, extended producer responsibility, co-payment, and life cycle analysis of pharmaceuticals focusing on reduction, reuse/re-dispensing can be integrated to make existing models sustainable, circular, and eco-friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Up to 30% of urine samples from women with suspected urinary tract infection (UTI) are contaminated and need to be repeated, burdening health services and delaying antibiotic prescription. To prevent contamination, midstream urine (MSU) sampling, which can be difficult to achieve, is recommended. Urine collection devices (UCDs) that automatically capture MSU have been proposed as a solution. There are few studies exploring women's experiences of using such devices. Aim: To explore women's experiences of urine collection and the use of UCDs during a suspected UTI. Design and setting: An embedded qualitative study in a UK randomised controlled trial (RCT) of UCDs among women attending primary care for UTI symptoms. Method: Semi-structured telephone interviews with 29 women who had participated in the RCT were conducted. The transcribed interviews were then thematically analysed. Results: Most of the women were dissatisfied with how they normally produced urine samples. Many were able to use the devices, found them hygienic, and would use them again, even if they had initially experienced problems. Women who had not used the devices expressed interest in trying them. Potential barriers to UCD use included positioning for the sample, UTI symptoms making urine collection difficult, and waste disposal because of the single-use plastic in the UCDs. Conclusion: Most women agreed there was a need for a user- and environmentally-friendly device to improve urine collection. Although using UCDs can be difficult for women experiencing UTI symptoms, they may be appropriate for asymptomatic sampling in other clinical populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NHS accounts for 5.4% of the UK's total carbon footprint, with the perioperative environment being the most resource hungry aspect of the hospital. The aim of this systematic review was to assimilate the published studies concerning the sustainability of the perioperative environment, focussing on the impact of implemented interventions. A systematic review was performed using Pubmed, OVID, Embase, Cochrane database of systematic reviews and Medline. Original manuscripts describing interventions aimed at improving operating theatre environmental sustainability were included. 675 abstracts were screened with 34 manuscripts included. Studies were divided into broad themes; recycling and waste management, waste reduction, reuse, reprocessing or life cycle analysis, energy and resource reduction and anaesthetic gases. This review summarises the interventions identified and their resulting effects on theatre sustainability. This systematic review has identified simple, yet highly effective interventions across a variety of themes that can lead to improved environmental sustainability of surgical operating theatres. Combining these interventions will likely result in a synergistic improvement to the environmental impact of surgery. • Perioperative environments use 3–6 times more energy than the hospital in general. • Paper/cardboard recycling bins in operating areas led to a 50–67% recycling rate. • Reusable items can lead to 70% reduction in waste generation. • Alcohol scrub solutions vs handwashing saves ∼930,000 L/year/hospital of water. • Dispensing propofol in 20 mL bottles instead of 50/100 mL reduces drug wastage by 90%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive use of petrochemical plastic packaging leads to the greenhouse gas emission and contamination to soil and oceans, posing major threats to the ecosystem. The packaging needs, hence, are shifting to bioplastics with natural degradability. Lignocellulose, the biomass from forest and agriculture, can produce cellulose nanofibrils (CNF), a biodegradable material with acceptable functional properties, that can make packaging among other products. Compared to primary sources, CNF extracted from lignocellulosic wastes reduces the feedstock cost without causing an extension to agriculture and associated emissions. Most of these low value feedstocks go to alternative applications, making their use in CNF packaging competitive. To transfer the waste materials from current practices to the packaging production, it is imperative to assess their sustainability, encompassing environmental and economic impacts along with the feedstock physical and chemical properties. A combined overview of these criteria is absent in the literature. This study consolidates thirteen attributes, delineating sustainability of lignocellulosic wastes for commercial CNF packaging production. These criteria data are gathered for the UK waste streams, and transformed into a quantitative matrix, evaluating the waste feedstock sustainability for CNF packaging production. The presented approach can be adopted to decision scenarios in bioplastics packaging conversion and waste management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns about devaluation and misrecognition are central for understanding the experiences of workers in stigmatised occupations. Yet contemporary approaches have been criticised for over-simplifying workers' responses to mis/recognition. Povinelli's concepts of 'trembling of recognition' and 'social tense' offer a useful starting point for extending existing understandings of mis/recognition by highlighting the contextual importance of temporality. To explore these ideas, we report on an ethnographic study of waste management workers in London, UK. The findings suggest that dirty workers' responses to mis/recognition are a complex mix of discordant cognitive and affective reactions and narrative strategies, shaped by changing normative ideals. The findings suggest that recognition derives not only from workers' encounters, meanings and feelings attached to the past and present but also from the sense that they have a valued part to play in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Waste reduction and avoidance are key to understandings of thrift. • How motivations for thrift are explained depends on their temporal context. • Thrift as the preservation of economic resources is seen as something from the past. • Moralities of thrift change with the rise of single use products and packaging. • Municipal waste management and infrastructures impact understandings of thrift. This paper explores shifting ideas of waste and recycling in narratives on thrift in the UK. Drawing on texts written by 33 respondents who answered two separate Mass Observation Directives on the subject of thrift in 1987 and 2016, it illuminates how waste reduction and avoidance is described by 'ordinary people'. The ways in which these practices are framed are dependent on the temporal context in which the narrative is set. Two key findings are presented. Firstly, respondents explain motivations for such practices differently, depending on whether their examples relate to what they were exposed to during their upbringing or to their own practices at present. Between these two contexts, the moralisation of thrift through practices of waste reduction and avoidance shifts from a focus on financial hardship towards consciousness/satisfaction, which indicates that current understandings of thrift combine values of ethical consumerism and hedonism. Secondly, responses to the 1987 and 2016 directives differ in terms of how thrift through waste reduction and avoidance of disposable items is accounted for. In 1987 writings, thrift was associated with efforts to find ways to use single-use multiple times, whereas in the 2016 writings, thrift is associated with a firm commitment to household waste recycling through municipal services. This indicates that since the 1980s, material and infrastructural changes have led to a shift of norms in dealing with single-use products and recycling. The findings point towards critical considerations of how moralities of thrift are employed in the context of material culture in the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This research examines current waste management within an operating room at a large United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS) hospital. The study measured the volume and type of waste produced for primary hip operations (PHOs) and estimated the total waste produced across the United Kingdom by the procedure. Methods: Three PHOs were audited to measure and compare the waste volumes generated. Results: The average volume of waste per surgical procedure was 10.9 kg, consisting of clinical (84.4%), recyclable (12.8%) and bio-bin (2.8%) waste. This research also found that single-use devices contribute significantly to operating room waste. In addition, it was estimated that there is a missed opportunity to reduce clinical waste volume in each procedure, where approximately 15% of clinical waste disposal consisted of visibly clean recyclable waste material, including cardboard and plastics. Conclusions: It was estimated that in the NHS approximately 1043 tonnes of waste is produced annually by PHOs alone. A significant volume of this waste could be prevented through improved recycling and reduced use of single-use devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK government has been calling for action in tackling food waste (FW) generation, to which the Hospitality and Food Services (HaFS) sector contributes substantially. Decision-making tools that inform the selection of appropriate FW management (FWM) processes in the HaFS sector are lacking. This study fills this gap by offering a conceptual decision-making tool that supports selecting appropriate and commercially available FW processing techniques for the HaFS sector. The study initially conducted an exploratory analysis of on-site and off-site FWM options commercially available in the UK to inform the development of a two-tier decision-making framework. A set of steering criteria was developed and refined via stakeholder consultations to create flowcharts that guide the selection of FWM options, i.e., Tier 1 of the framework. Tier 2 refines the FWM process selection using a comparative sustainability scorecard of FWM options performance developed through a rapid systematic evidence mapping. The main outcome of this study is a flexible decision-making tool that allows stakeholders to participate in the decision-making process and facilitate the selection of tailored-based FWM processes that better suit their circumstances and needs. This approach to decision-making is more likely to enable solutions that facilitate the sustainable management of wasted resources and promote circularity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Illegal dumping of household and business waste, known as fly-tipping in the UK, is a significant environmental crime. News agencies reported major increases early in the COVID-19 pandemic when waste disposal services were closed or disrupted. This study examines the effect of lockdowns on illegal dumping in the UK. Method: A freedom of information request was sent to all local authorities in the UK asking for records of reported incidents of fly-tipping for before and after the first national lockdown. ARIMA modelling and year-on-year comparison was used to compare observed and expected levels of fly-tipping. Urban and rural local authorities were compared. Results: A statistically significant decline in fly-tipping during the first lockdown was followed by a similar increase when lockdown ended. The effects largely cancelled each other out. There was pronounced variation in urban–rural experience: urban areas, with higher rates generally, experienced most of the initial drop in fly-tipping while some rural authorities experienced an increase. Conclusion: Waste services promote compliance with laws against illegal dumping. When those services were disrupted during lockdown it was expected that fly-tipping would increase but, counter-intuitively, it declined. This enhanced compliance effect was likely due to increased perceived risk in densely populated urban areas. However, as lockdown restrictions were eased, fly-tipping increased to clear the backlog, indicating temporal displacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wales is one of the world leaders in household waste recycling with a steady recent recycling rate of ~65%. The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) set a statutory target of achieving a 70% recycling rate by 2024/25. We reviewed historical trends in waste management in Wales from 2006 to 2020, with a focus on recycling. Authoritative, official data were obtained from WasteDataFlow, an Internet system for municipal waste data reporting by UK local authorities to government. Data are collected quarterly allowing the generation of time series plots, trendlines and like-for-like comparisons between groupings of various characteristics, such as number of separate kerbside collections, income, political preference, and impact of policy changes. Results showed that the approach taken by the WAG to politically prioritise and encourage participation in household recycling has achieved impressive results that contrast starkly with the recycling performance of other UK countries. In Wales, household waste disposed annually per person via landfill decreased from ~410 kg to <50 kg and household waste recycled increased from to ~150 kg to ~310 kg, with a recent increase in incineration with energy recovery to ~135 kg as infrastructure has come online. Recycling rates show a seasonal variation due to increases in garden waste sent for composting in the summer. There are variations in local authority performance across Wales, mainly caused by variations in the number of separate collections. Co-mingled collections tend to lead to higher contamination of recyclates that are then not able to be sold for recycling. Deprivation, as indicated by differences in income, also influences total waste arisings and recycling rates. A plateau of ~65% recycling rate was reached in 2020, with incineration reaching a rate of >25%. The recycling rate plateaus at exactly the same time as incineration comes on stream. Evidence demonstrates that improvements to recycling rates can become more difficult when incineration becomes available. Whilst further reductions and improvements to recycling in Wales will be more challenging, the WAG's track record of focused proactive political and policy support shows what can be achieved when there is suitable political will. The WAG has demonstrated that it tends to deliver on its waste-related plans, and it clearly has the best chance of any of the UK's four countries of achieving its aims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK recycling rate fluctuates between 45% and 47% and has consistently failed to meet the 65% target set by the post-Brexit Resource and Waste Strategy. Understanding the issues surrounding the low recycling rate in metropolitan cities in the United Kingdom will help to overcome these recycling challenges. The review examines the current situation with regard to the recycling rate and tonnage of waste produced in the United Kingdom based on available secondary waste flow data and explores different barriers related to household recycling. Many areas giving rise to the recycling challenges have been identified, including waste policy constraints, lack of effective communication, public engagement, physical barriers, service constraints, human factors and socio-economic barriers. The literature review reveals that factors such as waste policy, communication and physical factors were the most important aspects in influencing recycling rate or output. It is concluded that a multi-dimension intervention is required, which includes a thorough review of waste policy, a more stringent enforcement, an improved communication strategy and a more integrated planning development policy to mitigate issues affecting the United Kingdom's low recycling rate or output. This approach will propel the local authorities to launch or initiate effective recycling management and to put in place the required infrastructure to facilitate effective recycling activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earth is a green building material with very low embodied energy and almost zero greenhouse gas emissions. However, it lacks strength and durability when used without stabilisation. By incorporating responsibly sourced stabilisers, it is possible to enhance the strength of this material. In this study, adobe bricks stabilised using bio-inspired stabilisers were investigated. This research was inspired by the high strength and durability of termite mounds, exploring the stabiliser behind such robust natural constructions. Termites build their mounds by incorporating a glycoprotein from their saliva to cement the sub-soil particles together. Biomimicry has been employed to investigate the potential use of the termites' construction stabiliser in adobe bricks. Three glycoproteins from meat and fish industry waste were identified as potential stabilisers in adobe bricks. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) from cows' blood, mucin from the porcine stomach, and gelatine from cold-water fish skin were the three stabilisers used in this study. Two soils were used to prepare adobe bricks for testing. The primary soil used in this study was from Devon in the United Kingdom (UK). The second soil was obtained from the Mayo neighbourhood in Khartoum, Sudan, and used only in key tests. Adobe bricks were made and stabilised with different concentrations of these bio-inspired stabilisers. Controlled unstabilised adobe bricks were used for comparison. The bricks were tested for their unconfined compressive strength. The main conclusion of this study is that BSA has proven its potential to be used as a stabiliser in earth construction. Using 0.5 % BSA resulted in a 17 % and 41 % increase in the unconfined compressive strength of the British and Sudanese adobe bricks, respectively. In addition, using 5 % BSA resulted in a 203 % and 97 % increase in the unconfined compressive strength of the British and Sudanese adobe bricks, respectively. The compressive strength of BSA-stabilised adobe bricks is higher than that of earth bricks stabilised using 5 % cement and 5 % lime reported in the literature. Furthermore, the compressive strength of the 5 % BSA-stabilised adobe bricks is higher than the lower recommended compressive strength for the hollow concrete blocks in the UK. Hence, these BSA-stabilised adobe bricks could substitute hollow concrete blocks to construct internal walls. The other stabilisers tested did not significantly improve the unconfined compressive strength of the adobe bricks. The study underscores the value of biomimicry and proposes glycoproteins as viable natural stabilisers in earth construction, with further recommendations for in-depth research to optimise application methods and formulations. • Stabilisation boosts earth's durability for construction. • Termites' glycoprotein inspires earth construction stabilisation research. • Biomimicry underscores glycoproteins' value. • Bovine serum albumin (BSA) optimises adobe bricks better than cement/lime. • Crucial factors for effective stabilisation: glycoprotein size, source, function, and soil clay mineral types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-transported calls refer to calls received by dispatchers, ambulances dispatched, and the patient not being transported to any health facility. There is a need to analyze and scrutinize the number of such calls and the monetary cost associated with them as it will help to build an effective system to prevent wastage of money and time. Objective: The main objective of this study is to determine the cost and time lost due to the use of resources higher than required in non-emergency situations, and then a comparison is being made to determine the acceptable cost if the appropriate resources are used for such cases. Incidence of nontransported Emergency Medical Services (EMS) calls and the financial and time burdens in Jubail, classified non-urgent from 2017 to 2019, have wasted EMS resources. This information can be useful to improve EMS operations and allocate resources to control inappropriate usage. Methodology: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to assess non-emergency EMS calls in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Study data were obtained from the Royal Commission Health Services Program- Jubail (RCHSP-J) key performance indicator (KPIs) system from 2017 to 2019. Descriptive statistical measures (sum, mean, and percentage), and comparison methods were obtained. Results: The cost from 2017 to 2019 for the non-emergency calls by using the advanced life support ambulance (ALS) was 2,051,651 USD while the cost of emergency calls was 546,037 USD only. On the other hand, the time for the non-emergency calls was 6870 hours (78%) and the emergency calls were only 1769 hours (22%). Conclusion: In systems with limited resources and poor regulation; the non-emergency calls having higher costs and time more than emergency calls from 2017 to 2019, might have caused a delay in providing care for the more serious cases. This involves a significant financial waste that could have been planned to make the system work more efficiently avoiding massive waste of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular economy is a widely discussed topic in the field of industrial renovation and environmentally responsive economies. The current economic and industrial model, which is termed as the produce–use–dispose model, is a linear model in which the resource is lost forever after utilisation. In addition to economic impact, disposal of the waste products creates an immense pressure on the environment. For this reason, scholars are trying to find an effective solution to this problem by ensuring the reuse of the resources that are used. The concept of the circular economy ensures the re-cycling and reuse of the resources and closes the resource loop. The circular economy challenges the produce–use–dispose concept and focuses on the reuse of resources. In a world of scarce resources, policies to recycle and reuse resources increase opportunities for economic growth. Scholars are increasingly researching the concept of a circular economy to improve efficiencies and improve industrial ecology. This study considers these ideas and identifies the opportunities and barriers of the circular economy transition. To achieve the goals of the study, the researchers reviewed 10 UK leading retailers and after the analysis have found that environmental awareness, stakeholder pressure and government rules and regulations have driven retailers to embrace the circular business model in their operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Healthcare contributes more than 1% of all domestic waste in the United Kingdom (UK), with operating theatre waste alone accounting for approximately 50% of all hospital waste. In November 2022, the UK Surgical Royal Colleges issued an Intercollegiate Climate Emergency Declaration and called for urgent action. We review waste production and the recyclability of surgical instrument packaging used in a common ear, nose and throat procedure (thyroidectomy) and suggest strategies to make this surgery more sustainable,. These strategies can be generalised to other surgeries., Methods: We prospectively audited packaging waste from 20 thyroidectomies performed at the Royal Marsden Hospital in the UK between July and December 2022. All packaging was weighed, categorised and analysed after the operation., Results: On average, each thyroidectomy produced packaging waste comprising 183g (34%) of plain paper/cardboard, 167g (31%) of soft plastic film, 142g (26%) of laminated paper, 37g (7%) of hard plastic and 11g (2%) of metal foil. Of all the packaging collected, only one item had a recycling label. When extrapolated to the 7,851 thyroidectomies performed in the National Health Service during the fiscal year 2021/2022, the estimated total weight of packaging waste would be 4.2 tonnes, of which only 31.4kg would be indicated as recyclable. When converted to an estimated carbon footprint, total carbon emissions would be 1,048kg CO 2 e, equivalent to three round trips from London to Edinburgh in a petrol car., Conclusion: This audit demonstrates the different categories and vast amount of packaging waste from a common operation. Manufacturers should place clear recyclability labels on packaging, and switch to recyclable materials and a digital information booklet where possible. Local waste audit and analysis can be simple first steps towards making surgery more sustainable.

• Household waste production is characterised by externalities and market failure. • This article tests the effect of landfill taxes on waste collection and disposal. • We use a panel of English local authorities over 9 years. • We estimate the landfill tax elasticity of waste for a range of waste streams. • The landfill tax is effective in shifting waste from landfill its alternatives. The production of household waste is characterised by externalities and market failure, where the decision to consume does not consider the environmental impact of consequent waste generated. Policy interventions in the UK have focused primarily on pricing the disposal of waste through a landfill tax. This article tests the effectiveness of landfill taxation on household waste collection and disposal. Using a ridge regression with correction for fixed effects on a panel dataset of English local authorities, we estimate the landfill tax elasticity of waste for a range of waste disposal and collection streams. Results indicate that the landfill tax is elastic at disposal and effective in shifting waste from landfills to incineration. The tax is inelastic at collection, and encourages recycling. Our results indicate that landfill taxation is an important tool to change how waste is disposed by households and local authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear power generation in the United Kingdom is based principally on graphite-moderated gas-cooled reactors. One of the principal long-lived radionuclides produced during graphite irradiation is radiocarbon (C-14). Graphite from some Magnox reactors is known to contain carbonaceous surface deposits, which have been shown to contain significantly higher C-14 activity compared to the underlying graphite. This work is part of a multi-year programme designed to inform decisions on graphite waste management by further scientific understanding of C-14 formation and behaviour in core graphite. The aim of this paper was to investigate the effect of the reactor operating conditions on the formation of C-14 in the graphite and carbonaceous deposits. A comparison of C-14 specific activities in regions of graphite core components directly exposed to and shielded from coolant gas indicates that exposure to the coolant does not have a significant effect on the C-14 activity of the graphite and the deposits. C-14 in the graphite appears to be linearly related to irradiation dose. Comparison with activation model predictions shows good agreement with the C-14 activity in the graphite in the fuel channels based upon an assumed nitrogen impurity. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution causes millions of deaths globally every year. The cause is largely, but not solely, from fossil fuel combustion in the electricity generation and transport sectors as well as various agricultural and waste management practices. This pollution in the form of ground level ozone, particulate matter and acidic gases such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide causes respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological problems in humans. These health concerns tend to have a greater impact on more vulnerable sectors of societies, including street vendors, agricultural workers and school children. There is a growing body of evidence that the pollution has equally devastating impacts on other organisms including plants, which may harm whole ecosystems. As humans are integral to rather than independent of nature, then this will have further reciprocal effects on us. A survey of people in rural central Thailand indicates that people are largely unaware of the main causes of and, to some extent ambivalent of, the risks associated with air pollution. An absence of policy to address this through mechanisms such as taxation akin to tobacco, alcohol or the UK 2017 sugar tax and compulsory environmental education programmes could be viewed as evidence of moral blindness. In light of some events of the Covid-19 pandemic, the importance of developing united policies to cope with worldwide air pollution is never been more apparent. There is good news in that data on local air quality is becoming increasing available in user friendly apps, which creates an opportunity to develop participatory education programmes that could emphasise personal responsibility, to address both the twin pandemics of air pollution and environmental moral blindness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large retailers have been taking an increasing interest in sustainable development for the past 20 years. Although retailers play a central role in supply chains, research into sustainability within retailers' supply chains has been limited. With this in mind, this paper provides an exploratory review of how the five leading retailers in both the US and the UK are addressing supply chain issues in their latest sustainability reports. The paper revealed that all ten retailers addressed sustainability in the supply chain as part of their reporting on a range of issues including sustainable sourcing, human rights, carbon emissions, and waste management, but that there was no dedicated or discrete focus on sustainability in the supply chain within the reporting process. At the same time, many of the retailers' approaches to sustainability in the supply chain were aspirational and this raised issue of cost and external assurance. Looking forwards, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it remains to be seen how much enthusiasm, political will and investor support, large retailers will have to continue to sustainability agendas in their supply chains. However, if large retailers do look to introduce more rigorous environmental, social and economic measures into their supply chains, this will provide a major challenge for, and potentially a radical change to, their conventional business models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Given the lacuna in sustainability studies which investigate collaborative supply chain relationships in the context of the circular economy (CE), the purpose of this paper is to explore how farmers manage stakeholder relationship in the supply chain to reduce food waste within the CE framework. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews is used to collect primary data for this research. Interviews are conducted with farmers across different farming types in the UK. A thematic analysis is used to discuss the most prominent themes. Findings: The findings extend previous research investigating collaboration in sustainability settings. Farmers adopt collaborative relationships to manage exchanges of food waste and to share knowledge of waste management practices. However, contrary to extant literature, the study finds that geographic proximity is still relevant in the CE framework, although its importance is determined by the type of exchange: i.e. physical or non-physical. Practical implications: Based on the study's findings, recommendations for further research are proposed. The study also advises on practical considerations for supply chain managers wishing to adopt collaborative relationships to support circular models of supply chains. Originality/value: The study contributes to the sustainability literature by adding new knowledge to the relatively new theory of the CE. It demonstrates that factors of collaboration identified in previous sustainability research are still relevant in the CE framework, and thus require further investigation into the significance of collaboration. The study is also of relevance to supply chain managers wishing to adopt the CE framework in the transition to more sustainable supply chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste disposal from the use of nuclear technology for power generation poses international challenges in terms of its enduring, costly and highly toxic nature. This article focuses on the challenges faced by the UK given the lack of solutions that appear to stem from an absence of public debate and consensus. The problems of nuclear waste disposal are contextualized by considering the challenges of public acceptance, lack of funding provisions, cost uncertainties and new reactor construction. The generation of low-carbon electricity by nuclear power stations remains significant in the UK, but the nuclear industry faces significant, and as yet unresolved, problems. For instance, decommissioning, clean-out and waste disposal are currently required for all non-operational nuclear facilities. However, disposal of highly toxic waste has proved problematic, thereby leading to today's unsustainable scenario of storage in temporary facilities, including decommissioned nuclear submarines. While costs, timescales, and hazards of decommissioning and storage continue to be largely unscalable (HM Government 2015) there has been little informed public debate about these issues, perhaps a key ingredient in finding solutions, given current UK waste disposal strategies. The problem and risks associated with nuclear waste disposal are inter-generational, enduring, cost billions of pounds and potentially catastrophic. This article is being published to energize a structured public discussion on nuclear waste disposal by reviewing the problem and suggesting a way forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connectivity is vital for the maintenance of spatially structured ecosystems, but is threatened by anthropogenic processes that degrade habitat networks. Thus, connectivity enhancement has become a conservation priority, with resources dedicated to enhancing habitat networks. However, much effort may be wasted on ineffective management, as conservation theory and practice can be poorly linked. Here we evaluate the success of landscape management designed to restore connectivity in the Humberhead wetlands (UK). Hybrid pattern-process models were created for six species, representing key taxa in the wetland ecosystem. Habitat suitability models were used to provide the spatial context for individual-based models that predicted metapopulation dynamics, including functional connectivity. To create models representing post-management conditions, landscape structure was modified to represent local improvements in habitat quality achieved through management. Models indicate that management had limited success in enhancing connectivity. Interventions have buffered existing connectivity in several species' habitat networks, with inter-patch movement increasing for modelled species by up to 22% (for water vole, Arvicola amphibius), but have not reconnected isolated habitat fragments. Field surveys provided provisional support for the accuracy of baseline models, but could not identify predicted benefits from management interventions, likely due to time-lags following these interventions. Despite lacking clear empirical support as yet, models suggest the management of the Humberhead wetlands has successfully enhanced the landscape-scale ecological network, achieving management targets. However we identify key limitations to this success and provide specific recommendations for improvement of future landscape-scale management. Our developments in model application and integration can be developed further and be usefully applied to studies of species and/or community dynamics in a range of contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to disclose the role and features of various IT systems for environmental building performance (EBP) in facilities management. Design/methodology/approach: The study focuses on IT systems used for facilities management in four organisations. The study is based on a maximum variance case study in which the selected organisations have different organisation type and portfolio size. Three organisations are from Denmark and one is from the UK. Findings: Several IT systems can be used for managing EBP. EBP in IT systems is primarily reflected through energy management, with specific focus on monitoring and reporting electricity, heating and water consumption. Furthermore, greenhouse gas emissions related to energy consumption can be calculated in some IT systems, while other environmental categories like building materials and recycling potentials are not adequately supported by the systems covered in this study. Some IT systems offer additional features relating to EBP, such as waste management and space management, but the study shows that these features are not demanded at the current point. Practical implications: The results can be used to support decision-making in organisations to improve EBP in facilities management by IT systems. Originality/value: This study contributes with new knowledge on how IT systems are used in different organisations for managing EBP. The paper also shows how various IT systems can add value to real estate organisations and facilities management departments and support their business processes relating to EBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The healthcare industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Assisted reproductive technology is part of the larger healthcare sector, with its own heavy carbon footprint. The social, economic and environmental costs of this collective carbon footprint are becoming clearer, as is the impact on human reproductive health. Alpha Scientists in Reproductive Medicine and the International IVF Initiative collaborated to seek and formulate practical recommendations for sustainability in IVF laboratories. An international panel of experts, enthusiasts and professionals in reproductive medicine, environmental science, architecture, biorepository and law convened to discuss the topics of importance to sustainability. Recommendations were issued on how to build a culture of sustainability in the workplace, implement green design and building, use life cycle analysis to determine the environmental impact, manage cryostorage more sustainably, and understand and manage laboratory waste with prevention as a primary goal. The panel explored whether the industry supporting IVF is sustainable. An example is provided to illustrate the application of green principles to an IVF laboratory through a certification programme. The UK legislative landscape surrounding sustainability is also discussed and a few recommendations on 'Green Conferencing' are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The importance of governmental context in the analysis of China and UK approaches to standards and the Circular Economy. • In the UK, a transition to a Circular Economy assumes positive economic benefits and the creation of new markets. • In China, notions of the Circular Economy are constructed around material reduction and recycling. • For both countries, governance arrangements make transitions towards more sustainable waste management systems problematic. Wastes, like other materials, have become increasingly global in their flows. The circular economy (CE) is a multi-level sustainability transition linked to the global trade in waste. China has long been a key trading partner for the West's waste materials. However, its rethinking of the quality of traded recyclable materials has triggered a crisis in the global governance of waste flows. We utilise a Sociology of Knowledge approach to undertake comparative work to better understand how different governance arrangements may facilitate or constrain the unfolding of a CE transition. The UK and China were selected as models of liberal and authoritarian environmental governance respectively. A mixed-method approach was pursued using qualitative interviews with key stakeholders and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data from secondary sources. Thematic analysis is organised around: perceptions of the circular economy, meanings of standards, and perspectives on trade and materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In 30% of cases use of the Defra bias correction spreadsheet degrades accuracy by more than 10% relative to the corresponding locally derived bias factor. • In 30% of cases the Defra bias correction spreadsheet degrades accuracy relative to no bias correction at all. • Diffusion tube bias adjustment improves mean accuracy at the cost of increasing the percentage of points that underestimate the true value. In the United Kingdom, the planning process requires applicants to submit an air quality impact assessment wherever an impact on national limit compliance is likely, and this factors into the resultant decision. We identify flaws in the current methodological frameworks and policies associated with this process that in the worst cases could lead to poor decision making. We give examples of how inaccurate data is certified as good through unsuitable pre-processing, how these errors are then amplified by poor modelling practice, and how the final data is judged against metrics that are evidence impaired to arrive at potentially unsound decisions. We then discuss the implications and propose a way forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Breweries generate large quantities of waste materials per litre of beer produced. • LCA is used to model current management and valorisation of barley straw. • The valorisation scenario has a higher environmental impact associated. • This impact is mainly caused by the high energy use in the extraction process. Most food manufacturers in industrialised countries produce significant amounts of food wastes during their manufacturing activities. Due to the serious environmental consequences of managing these materials, environmental impact analyses have become popular to identify more sustainable practices for food waste management. Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a useful methodology to assess such environmental impacts. This paper presents the main results obtained using the LCA methodology to analyse the potential environmental impacts of waste management for a brewery in the UK. Initially, the main waste types are identified for this industry: barley straw, malt waste and spent grain, and then barley straw is selected to study its environmental impact in detail. An alternative, more sustainable way to manage barley straw by extracting its wax with supercritical CO 2 is discussed. SimaPro software is used to both quantify potential environmental impacts and evaluate the overall environmental performance of this valorisation opportunity, and to compare its modelled environmental impacts to the current impacts of managing barley straw. Results show that valorising barley straw by this method generates a high environmental impact due to the energy requirements of the processes involved, principally for human toxicity (cancer effects), human toxicity (non-cancer effects) and freshwater ecotoxicity impact categories. Using more energy-efficient processes or an alternative energy source would reduce this environmental impact. The analysis used in this paper allows an objective comparison between different scenarios with the final aim of supporting the use of sustainable solutions for waste management in the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic pollution is a significant threat to the marine environment. The problem has become subject to increasing scientific scrutiny, media campaigning and growing public awareness. This has stimulated policy-makers to introduce changes aiming to reduce plastic consumption and production. However, in order to arrive at socially acceptable policy and behaviour change solutions, we need to better understand the diverse array of stakeholder perspectives on ocean plastic pollution, economic policy and consumption responsibilities. We employ a Q-methodological study to research key stakeholder viewpoints from ENGO, government agency, plastic manufacturer, retailer, research and citizen representatives in the UK. We find four emergent types of perspectives surrounding this topic, labelled: a) socio-cultural visibility and responsibility, b) dragons of inaction – disempowerment and defeatism, c) value-action gap, d) refuting retailer responsibility. We also identify a clear consensus that current and proposed government policy is not radical enough – the focus needs to move beyond single-product taxes and levies on disposal items (e.g. bags, coffee cups), to a deeper reflection about public awareness raising and education, defining waste responsibilities more clearly, and working to change the habits and unsustainable practices of consumers in the face of public apathy and a resistant retail environment. • Marine plastic pollution is a growing issue in current environmental discourse in the United Kingdom and across Europe • The UK Government is proposing tax measures to reduce plastic consumption, thus social scientific research is key • We employ Q-methodology to explore the differences in perspectives that emerge between competing stakeholder interests • We reveal four distinct discourses and conclude policy must stimulate public responsibility towards plastic consumption [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK is facing tremendous challenges in tackling food waste diversion from landfill. Whilst much effort has been made to prevent food waste, there is still a lack of attention and strategic approach in dealing with resource recovery and valorisation of food waste. This paper presents a systematic framework for sustainable organic waste management and valorisation in the UK through (i) review of current policy framework; (ii) analysis of resource recovery potential from food waste at national, community and organisational levels; (iii) proposition of alternative waste management strategies; and (iv) examination of challenges and opportunities with respect to economic, environment and social dimensions of sustainability of waste management strategies. The paper explores valorisation of source-segregated food waste and mixed waste from the supermarket and households into electricity and transportation fuels, through partially and completely decentralised configurations using anaerobic digestion and gasification technologies. This study demonstrates a potential for reducing the cost of electricity and greenhouse gas emissions of one supermarket store by 12% when adopting partially decentralised food waste anaerobic digestion strategy, and full substitution of fossil fuel based electricity with net surplus renewable electricity generation through complete decentralisation of mixed waste gasification. Therefore, a more integrated, circular and advanced technological approach in waste management should be undertaken as it can lead to a wider range of socio-economic and environmental advantages to the local community, highly essential in the UK. Image 1 • Valorisation of waste closer to the source promotes resource circularity. • A synergistic approach is robust in addressing challenges in waste management. • Technology and configuration determine the viability of valorisation strategies. • Decentralised waste management enhances community participation. • A supportive fiscal incentive scheme promotes uptake of waste valorisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine litter is a global, persistent, and increasing threat to the oceans, and numerous initiatives aim to address this challenge. Fishing For Litter (FFL) is a voluntary clean-up scheme, where litter is collected as part of routine fishing operations. We surveyed fishers (n = 97) and stakeholders (n = 22) in the UK to investigate perceptions of FFL, its strengths and weaknesses, and potential co-benefits of the scheme. Fishers reported being aware of and concerned about the negative impacts of litter. Overall, FFL was evaluated very positively (7.85/10). In addition, FFL fishers reported less environmentally harmful waste management behaviors both out at sea and in other contexts than did non-FFL fishers. Fishers and stakeholders listed strengths and weaknesses of the scheme and made suggestions for future changes. As well as directly helping to remove litter, this paper demonstrates that clean-up schemes can make a contribution to addressing the underlying causes of marine pollution. • Stakeholders' evaluation of the Fishing For Litter scheme, accessing remote debris • Fishers cared about, were aware of and felt responsible for marine litter • Fishers and stakeholders have positive views of the FFL scheme • FFL found to promote pro-environmental behaviors at sea and elsewhere • Demonstrates the importance for initiatives to focus on intrinsic motives [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High-frequency sampling characterises E. coli regrowth patterns in livestock faeces. • Regrowth patterns observed under field conditions reproduced in the laboratory. • We develop a non-linear, asymptotic model of E. coli regrowth in livestock faeces. • Provides new evidence to inform risk assessment of livestock waste management. Agricultural intensification can lead to high volumes of livestock faeces being applied to land, either as solid or liquid manures or via direct defecation, and can result in reservoirs of faecal indicator organisms (FIOs) persisting within farmland. Understanding the survival of FIOs, e.g. E. coli , in agricultural environments, and in particular within different livestock faeces, is key to developing catchment management practices for the protection of ecosystem services provided by clean water. Frequently, controlled laboratory studies, under constant temperature regimes, are used to determine the impact of environmental factors on E. coli persistence in livestock faeces; however, such studies oversimplify the diurnal variations and interactions of real world conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the survival of E. coli using a controlled environment facility, which simulated diurnal variation of temperatures typically experienced during a British spring and summer. The approach provided a comparison of E. coli persistence profiles within faeces of sheep, beef cattle and dairy cattle to allow novel interpretations of E. coli regrowth patterns in contrasting livestock faeces in the period immediately post-defecation. Thus, the coupling of a tightly controlled environment facility with high resolution monitoring enabled the development of a new non-linear, asymptotic description of E. coli proliferation in livestock faeces, with increased potential for E. coli growth observed during warmer temperatures for all livestock types. While this study focused on temperatures typical of the UK, the occurrence of a phase of E. coli regrowth has implications for microbial water quality management worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Explores barriers to applying the waste hierarchy for e-waste. • 30 semi-structured expert interviews examined the impact of the WEEE Directive. • Legislation has prompted innovation in recycling and higher capture rates. • Recovery through recycling is limited to easily salvageable materials. • Waste prevention and reuse of EEE is often neglected in favour of recycling. Rapidly developing technology and an increasing number of products containing electrical or electronic functions, has led to discarded electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) being one of the fastest growing waste streams. The European Union (EU) has enacted several iterations of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive to address this complex waste stream. However, recycling dominates treatments for e-waste, despite the established 'waste hierarchy' showing waste prevention and reuse are generally preferable to recycling. This paper reports on 30 semi-structured interviews, undertaken across the EEE value chain, examining the impact of the WEEE Directive in the UK. The interviews confirmed that reuse takes place for a limited number of product types, mostly on a small scale. Additionally, whilst legislation has prompted innovation in recycling and higher capture rates, resource recovery is in practice limited to easily salvageable materials, whilst recovery of critical raw materials is often neglected. Furthermore, there is confusion around available collection networks, particularly for small WEEE, which consistently appears in residual waste streams. The waste hierarchy remains the key component of EU waste strategy and moving to the higher levels of the waste hierarchy is an essential part of achieving sustainable waste management and moving towards a circular economy. The paper proposes a series of measures to this end: promoting recovery routes and practices that facilitate reuse of suitable products, adapting recycling technology to increase recovery of critical raw materials and targeted policies to encourage the application of the waste hierarchy within a resource efficiency-oriented framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an overview of the U.K.'s Resource Recovery from Waste (RRfW) infrastructure. It introduces the waste management sector and its evolution into a resource recovery industry supporting a circular economy, and analyses key public-domain sources to review existing and planned infrastructure investment, regulation, capacity and new technologies. Most commentators predict a gap between capacity and demand, partly because planned developments are heavily focused on energy recovery; this moves focus away from activities higher up the waste hierarchy. Chronic, pervasive data deficiencies, political uncertainties and fiscal issues are major barriers to the sustainable development of a sector with real potential to provide modern jobs and services at home and for export. Regulation of the sector via environmental agencies, rather than a dedicated regulator for resource conservation, reinforces a cultural focus on waste treatment rather than resource recovery. All these factors impede progress towards the professed goal of achieving a circular economy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Estimation of WEEE flows through the UK waste management system from 2010 to 2030. • Calculation of the carbon footprint of WEEE management. • Reuse identified as being the preferred management option, followed by recycling. • When collected, current WEEE management practices found to result in net GHG saving. • Future policies should focus on improving collection and recovery rates of WEEE. Abstract The UK produces an estimated 2 Mt of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) annually and the management of this waste has become a foremost environmental issue in the UK. Whilst the collection, transportation and treatment of WEEE contributes to climate change due to its considerable energy and material requirements, the effective recovery and reuse or recycling of WEEE can contribute towards a net climate benefit. Here, we present a combined material flow analysis and carbon footprint approach (based on a bespoke calculator tool) for quantifying the flows of WEEE through a national waste management system and evaluating their potential climate impacts. We apply this approach to analyse the WEEE management system for the UK from 2010 to 2030 using prospective scenario analysis and assess the carbon footprint of their management pathways. Reuse was identified as the most favourable end-of-life management option in terms of potential climate impact, followed by recycling, with landfill identified as being the least favourable option. Overall, current end-of-life management practices for WEEE in the UK were found to result in a net positive (i.e. beneficial) climatic effect, although this saving was found to reduce when WEEE recycled as non-obligated WEEE was not included. Overall, we recommend that future national policies should focus on formalising indirect WEEE collection pathways to help increase overall collection rates and, thus, reuse and recycling activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Managerial approaches to food waste mitigation in UK coffee shops are explored. • Food waste represents an important issue but its management lags behind. • Major barriers are the lack of governmental support and imperfect legislation. • Limited internal resources and poor consumer awareness also play a role. Abstract The hospitality industry generates substantial amounts of food waste. Although the issue has been politically recognised, it remains under-researched. Studies are limited in number and restricted in sectoral and geographical coverage. They have attempted to quantify and characterise food waste in hospitality ventures while the managerial approaches to its reduction have not been scrutinised. The coffee shop sub-sector of the hospitality industry has been entirely excluded from analysis. This study examined food waste in UK coffee shops through the managerial lens. While food waste represents a significant challenge, the managerial approaches to its minimisation are conservative and focus on disposal, rather than prevention. Lack of governmental support, imperfect legislation, irresponsible consumer behaviour and restricted internal resources inhibit application of more advanced managerial approaches. To enhance the effectiveness of food waste management within the sub-sector, targeted policy interventions designed to strengthen corporate commitments and facilitate pro-environmental changes in consumer behaviour are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heat released from the disposal of High-Heat-Generating Waste (HHGW) in a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) will result in an increase in temperature, and therefore thermal expansion of both the engineering materials and surrounding rocks. The changes to the stress state arising from the thermal expansion of these materials, restrained by the surrounding rock mass, could affect several of the Thermal, Hydraulic, and Mechanical (THM) processes that operate after closure of a GDF. In this paper a methodology is described which suggests how the influence of thermal stress on fracture aperture around a GDF can be evaluated. A set of calculations on an illustrative Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) are reported. These calculations estimate the responses of the fractures to changes in rock stress, considering changes in fracture aperture and the resultant changes to effective intrinsic permeability. • This paper provides a methodology to describe the influence of thermal stress on fracture aperture. • It uses a, realistic, but illustrative 3D fracture network involving several million finite elements. • Fracture apertures were found to be reduced in a region around and beneath the GDF due to compressive stresses. • The maximum decrease in fracture apertures in the vicinity of the GDF was by a factor of about 2. • The changes in fracture aperture led to a modified effective permeability of the rock mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2017, the UK Government has invested in research and technology development of advanced nuclear technologies including options for the future recycling of spent nuclear fuels. Whilst the UK has previously reprocessed and recycled uranium and plutonium from spent fuels, industrial scale reprocessing has finished and future fuels are being stored ready for disposal in a deep geological repository around the end of the century (i.e. transition to the open fuel cycle). Nevertheless, it is possible that an expansion of the use of nuclear energy to help meet Net Zero carbon emission targets and changing public perceptions or geopolitical situations over this period may necessitate a return to some form of closed fuel cycle. Consequently, the Advanced Fuel Cycle Programme (AFCP) has been developing advanced recycling options using both aqueous and pyro-chemical methods that would reduce wastes, costs and environmental impacts but with enhanced flexibility and barriers against nuclear proliferation risks. As well as technology development, AFCP has developed approaches for evaluating the benefits and disbenefits of future fuel cycle options under the framework of sustainability. This article provides an overview of the progress made under AFCP on the aqueous recycling of spent fuels, including the management of secondary wastes arising from the reprocessing schemes. [Display omitted] • Review of key results from UK Advanced Fuel Cycle Programme • Innovation in advanced aqueous recycling technologies for spent nuclear fuels • Development of separation processes and management of secondary wastes • Development of Advanced PUREX, innovative-SANEX and GANEX processes • Integrated waste management [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 21st century the carbon emissions, material consumption, and impact on planetary boundaries associated with clothing have increased dramatically, driven in large part by fast fashion. The UK represents a typical, affluent, import-reliant Global North country, with clothing consumption per capita at double the global average and the impacts largely offshored. Progress towards a sustainable, circular clothing economy in the UK has been sluggish, as it has been globally. Here, we develop scenarios exploring how, over the coming two decades, the UK clothing economy could achieve the ambitious reductions in environmental impacts necessary to bring humanity's impact back within planetary boundaries. The scenarios consider the impacts of production- and consumption-focused changes, and the modelling uses material flow analysis to develop an assessment of energy consumption, carbon emissions, water consumption, and land use. We find that cleaner production and recycling alone could provide significant benefits for land and water use, reducing footprints by 60–70% by 2040. But to meaningfully reduce energy use, transformational changes will be required throughout supply chains at consumer and post-consumer stages. The same is true if the UK clothing economy is to be on track for net-zero by 2050, which requires these changes to be well under way within the next decade in order to halve emissions. Given the scale of change required, it seems highly unlikely that current clothing business models are compatible with a sustainable future. • In the 21st century the impacts of the clothing economy have increased dramatically. • We model scenarios exploring more sustainable future UK clothing economies. • Cleaner production and recycling alone could reduce land and water use ∼70% by 2040. • Meeting GHG targets requires recycling, cleaner production & halving new consumption. • Current business models are most likely incompatible with this transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]