Characterisation of household single-use packaging flows through a municipal waste system: A material flow analysis for New South Wales, Australia.

Household single-use packaging has poor rates of recycling, and presents a challenge in transitioning to a circular packaging economy. This study characterises the flows of household single-use packaging in the municipal waste system for 2020-21 in New South Wales, Australia. Households are an important source of packaging usage in Australia, accounting for over 40 % of all packaging used in 2020-21. Our focus spans 17 single-use packaging materials and 11 formats. We estimate the composition of single-use consumer packaging in the kerbside collection stream, and the ultimate fate of used packaging. Results show 1000 ± 8 % kt of packaging was used by households in NSW in 2020-21 (∼123 kg/cap). Composition of the used packaging stream was dominated by glass (36 %), paper (29 %) and plastic (28 %) packaging. HDPE (26 % of plastic packaging), LDPE (24 %) and PET (19 %) were the main polymers in use. 63 % ± 5 % of used packaging was collected for recycling, and 34 % ± 7 % was recovered via recyclate generation and overseas exports. Glass packaging had the highest recycling rates at 52 % ± 3 %, while plastic packaging had the poorest at 11 % ± 10 %. Findings indicate incorrect disposal of recyclables at the household to mixed-waste systems as a major limitation of the system to improve recycling rates. Expansion in recovery capacity is also essential for improving recycling rates, and the potential for generating the packaging-grade recyclate essential for meeting recycled content targets. The study offers contributions to the understanding of consumer packaging managed within the municipal waste system. Insights gained have application in informing sustainable packaging and waste management strategies.

Are piped water services reaching poor households? Empirical evidence from rural Viet Nam.

The delivery of water services to the poor is lagging, yet local causes and manifestations of this are not well understood. Better data is needed to identify inequalities where they occur, explore underlying reasons, and develop strategies to achieve more equitable access. A focus on the local scale is important because this is where water services are delivered, and inequalities in access can be best observed. This paper presents a mixed-methods study of poor households' access to piped water in rural Viet Nam, providing insight into local dynamics of the water/poverty nexus. Findings pointed to lower rates of piped water access for poor households across areas served by government, private and community service providers. Connection fees were found to be the primary barrier to poor households accessing available piped services. The study also found that where financial support is provided, poor households can achieve comparable or even higher rates of access. Key implications of the study are the demonstrated value of, and yet challenges associated with, rigorous local-level monitoring to ensure equitable, quality service delivery.

Sociodemographic predictors of residents worry about contaminated sites.

The management and remediation of contaminated environments increasingly involves engagement with affected local residents. Of late, risk communication tools and guidelines have drawn attention to the stress and concern of residents as a result of heightened awareness of localised contamination and the need to address these less visible impacts of contamination when engaging with affected communities. Despite this emerging focus, there is an absence of research exploring the factors that predict resident worry about neighbourhood contamination. This paper aims to address this shortcoming by drawing on data from a cross-sectional survey of 2009 adult residents in neighbourhoods near 13 contaminated sites across Australia. Analyses used ordered logistic regression to determine the sociodemographic, environmental, and knowledge-based factors that influence residents' degree of worry. The findings suggest age, gender and income significantly affect residents' degree of worry. Being knowledgeable about the contaminant was associated with lower degrees of worry. Conversely, having a stronger sense of place within a neighbourhood predicted higher degrees of worry. Type of contaminant also impacted resident worry, with residents being less likely to worry about hydrocarbon, asbestos and waste than other types of contaminants. Our analyses suggest resident worry can be reduced through improving access to accurate information and the development of specific risk reduction strategies tailored to each neighbourhood and aimed at the heterogeneous distribution of worry amongst residential populations.

ABRF-ESRG'03: analysis of a PVDF-bound known protein with a homogeneous amino-terminus.

The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities 2003 Edman Sequencing Research Group (ABRF-ESRG'03) sample is the 15th in a series of studies designed to allow participating members to evaluate their abilities to analyze the N-terminus of a protein or peptide using automated Edman degradation chemistry. It is a follow-up study to the ESRG'02 sample, which was a single protein with a heterogeneous N-terminus. Both the 2002 and 2003 samples were obtained from the same protein complex and were resolved by SDS-PAGE followed by electrophoretic transfer to PVDF membrane. The ABRF-ESRG'03 sample had an apparent molecular weight of 49 kDa and a single N-terminus, with initial yields of approximately 2 pmol. Participants were asked to sequence 25 residues and return their results to the ESRG for analysis along with two completed surveys and an area/pmol table for repetitive and initial yield calculations. Data for 46 responses are presented which include initial yields, repetitive yields, sequencer performance, and ability to identify the protein.

ABRF-2002ESRG, a difficult sequence: Analysis of a PVDF-bound known protein with a heterogeneous amino-terminus.

The ABRF-2002 Edman Sequencing Research Group (ESRG) sample (ABRF-2002ESRG) was the 14th in a yearly series designed as an education and self-evaluation tool for laboratories performing Edman sequence analysis. This year's study used a known protein with a heterogeneous amino-terminus, and thus was one of the more challenging protein samples distributed by an Association for Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) research group. The sample was originally submitted to an ESRG member's lab, and after analysis was thought to demonstrate an analytical problem that would be of interest to the general sequencing community. The protein was purified using commercially available, pre-cast sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels and transferred to polyvinylidene fluoride.Protein bands were distributed to 72 members of the ABRF who requested ABRF-2002ESRG, along with a data instruction sheet and a brief survey. Participating members were requested to report observed raw data, interpret the data as they normally would for an investigator, and identify the protein using a database search. Study results from 31 responses are presented to show how labs fared with a difficult but sequenceable sample.