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4 results on '"Simon J.T. Pollard"'

1. Risk assessments for quality-assured, source-segregated composts and anaerobic digestates for a circular bioeconomy in the UK

Author

Philip J. Longhurst, David Tompkins, Simon J.T. Pollard, Rupert L. Hough, Brian Chambers, Paul Gale, Sean Tyrrel, Raffaella Villa, Matthew Taylor, Shaomin Wu, Ruben Sakrabani, Audrey Litterick, Emma Snary, Paul Leinster, and Nina Sweet

Subjects
Environmental sciences, GE1-350
Abstract

A circular economy relies on demonstrating the quality and environmental safety of wastes that are recovered and reused as products. Policy-level risk assessments, using generalised exposure scenarios, and informed by stakeholder communities have been used to appraise the acceptability of necessary changes to legislation, allowing wastes to be valued, reused and marketed. Through an extensive risk assessment exercise, summarised in this paper, we explore the burden of proof required to offer safety assurance to consumer and brand-sensitive food sectors in light of attempts to declassify, as wastes, quality-assured, source-segregated compost and anaerobic digestate products in the United Kingdom. We report the residual microbiological and chemical risks estimated for both products in land application scenarios and discuss these in the context of an emerging UK bioeconomy worth £52bn per annum. Using plausible worst case assumptions, as demanded by the quality food sector, risk estimates and hazard quotients were estimated to be low or negligible. For example, the human health risk of E. coli 0157 illness from exposure to microbial residuals in quality-assured composts, through a ready-to-eat vegetable consumption exposure route, was estimated at ~10−8 per person per annum. For anaerobic digestion residues, 7 × 10−3 cases of E. coli 0157 were estimated per annum, a potential contribution of 0.0007% of total UK cases. Hazard quotients for potential chemical contaminants in both products were insufficient in magnitude to merit detailed quantitative risk assessments. Stakeholder engagement and expert review was also a substantive feature of this study. We conclude that quality-assured, source-segregated products applied to land, under UK quality protocols and waste processing standards, pose negligible risks to human, animal, environmental and crop receptors, providing that risk management controls set within the standards and protocols are adhered to. Keywords: Compost, Digestate, Regulation, Risk, Bioeconomy, Quality

Published
2019
Full Text
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2. Future foods: Morphological scenarios to explore changes in the UK food system with implications for food safety across the food chain

Author

Kenisha Garnett, Joao Delgado, Fiona A. Lickorish, Simon J.T. Pollard, Angel Medina-Vaya, Naresh Magan, Paul Leinster, and Leon A. Terry

Subjects
Sociology and Political Science, Pandemic, Food system, General Social Sciences, General Decision Sciences, Brexit, Development, Business and International Management, Scenario building, Consumer safety
Abstract

Scenarios are used to examine systemic change in food systems so policy makers can craft opportunities to improve the management of uncertainty and shape food policy. We present a number of alternative scenarios of the food system for 2035, developed with the Food Standards Agency, the independent government department working to protect public health and consumers’ interest in relation to food for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. To build scenarios we employed morphological analysis; a non-quantified method for modelling multiple scenario variables (food system drivers, projections), simulating their interactions and all possible scenario combinations. A cross-consistency analysis compared all possible scenario combinations to identify which set of driver projections formed a logical (internally consistent) scenario. Recently, we augmented the scenarios to consider the potential impacts and consequences of Brexit and the pandemic on consumer food safety. Outputs illustrate the consequences of extreme impacts emerging from an optimistic (Global Trading) and pessimistic (Resource Tensions) future for the food system. The scenarios establish a context for foresight in decision-making and a framework for evaluating the robustness of policies considering the opportunities and challenges arising from Brexit and a global pandemic.

Published
2023

3. Real-life resilience: Exploring the organisational environment of international water utilities

Author

Eduarda Giffoni, Simon Jude, Heather M. Smith, and Simon J.T. Pollard

Subjects
And organisational culture, Sociology and Political Science, Water utilities, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law, Development, Business and International Management, Organisational resilience
Abstract

The water sector has signalled the need to advance organisational and social resilience efforts. There is a lack of understanding of whether the organisational environment in water utilities is conducive to organisational resilience. Themes from interviews showcased challenges related to cognitive and contextual organisational properties. We identified a need to broaden the cognitive frame of utilities to account for flexible concepts of enhanced sense-making. We propose categories of organisational silos and a set of cultural attributes that contribute to organisational resilience. Interventions are needed to develop the cognitive, behavioural, and contextual properties of utilities that support organisational resilience. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC): EP/K012347/1 and Water Research Foundation.

Published
2022

4. Waste management: towards a sustainable society

Author

Simon J.T. Pollard

Subjects
Sustainable society, Engineering, Sociology and Political Science, Group (periodic table), business.industry, Publishing, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law, Development, Business and International Management, business, Industrial engineering, Management
Published
1991

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