waste

North West England: developing a regional roadmap for industrial bio-revolution

By Claire Holland Filed Under: British Politics, Growth and Inclusion, Science and Technology Posted: October 25, 2021

Escalating societal and political concerns over climate change have bolstered significant global focus on cutting carbon dioxide emissions. However, in a world still reeling from the effects of a global pandemic, development and implementation of effective resolution strategies are lacking. Profound change is needed to address damaging environmental, social, and economic repercussions of the current […]

Microplastic contamination of UK rivers caused by poor wastewater management

By Jamie Woodward Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment Posted: May 13, 2021

River corridors have provided therapeutic green spaces in our towns and cities during the pandemic. These rivers are being degraded by the widespread practice of ‘spilling’ untreated sewage. This raw sewage – laced with microplastics – has profound impacts on the environment and on public health. In this blog, Professor Jamie Woodward, from the Department […]

One bin to rule them all: the future of plastic waste?

By Mike Shaver Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: March 18, 2021

Despite the success of environmental campaigners in raising awareness of plastic pollution, much of the plastic waste produced in the UK is not recycled. In part, this is due to the complexity of the multiple recycling schemes in place across the country, causing confusion for both the public and waste management companies in terms of […]

COVID-19 and sustainable everyday routines

By Claire Hoolohan Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Urban Posted: October 1, 2020

Climate change requires rapid and fundamental transformation of our society to change the way that resources like energy and water are used during everyday routines. However, unsustainable consumption proves surprisingly impervious to policies and interventions intended to reduce emissions, not least because taken-for-granted ways of living become ‘locked-in’ by cultural and material conditions of society. […]

Plastics in the environment: Limiting the contamination of our rivers and oceans

By Ian Kane Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment Posted: June 8, 2020

Much of the world’s plastic waste is still not disposed of responsibly, and it can now be found in all natural environments. Dr Ian Kane has focused his research on understanding the problem of microplastics in world oceans. In this blog, he tells us about some of the pathways plastics take to enter oceans and […]

Managing radioactive waste

By Laura Leay Filed Under: Energy and Environment Posted: January 7, 2020

The UK nuclear industry is predicted to generate just under 5 million tonnes of radioactive waste across its entire lifetime. A small fraction of this, about 6%, will remain radioactive for millennia, which means that a long-term plan is required for managing new nuclear waste as well as the long-lived waste already being stored in […]

Learning from nature: a sustainable bio-based future?

By Kirk J Malone Filed Under: Science and Technology Posted: September 20, 2019

Dr Kirk J Malone is Director of Commercialisation at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology. In this blog he looks to nature as part of a wider rethink into how we produce, process and recycle materials. • There needs to be a fundamental rethink in the way we manufacture and dispose of materials. • One of […]

Science, industry, and government must pull together to solve our plastic addiction

By Mike Shaver Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Science and Technology Posted: September 5, 2019

Mike Shaver is currently Professor of Polymer Science at the University of Manchester in the School of Materials. In this article Mike explores how we should be viewing the use of plastic and also how we can avoid the potential environmental problems from plastic alternatives. Sustainable alternatives to plastic need thoughtful analysis of the whole […]

Radiation and risk – why policymakers and the public need facts not fears

By Laura Leay Filed Under: All posts Posted: March 11, 2016

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that caused nearly 20,000 deaths and triggered a major emergency at Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station, Japan. In the days that followed, Japanese authorities evacuated around 100,000 people from the area as radiation was released into the atmosphere. But, asks Laura Leay, are policies around radiation […]

Using ‘Big Data’

By Camilla Lewis Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology, Whitehall Watch Posted: July 2, 2014

‘Big Data’ will change many aspects of our lives and our public services – right down to waste management, explains Camilla Lewis. Big Data has the potential to transform much of our everyday lives and the way in which public services are delivered. This transformation is linked to the vast increase in computing power and […]