POPs & other emerging chemical hazards - projects

Below is a selection of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) & other emerging chemical hazards projects recently completed by Ascend Waste and Environment.

National contaminant sampling and testing protocol for waste (2017, AUS.GOV. DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT & Energy)

Ascend developed a baseline document which explores the idea of a nationally consistent waste contaminant testing protocol focusing on inputs to, and outputs from, waste water treatment plants - wastestreams that fall outside the road transport-based hazardous waste management system. This protocol looks specifically at emerging chemical hazards such as POPs and related persistent bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) chemicals sourced from pharmaceuticals, personal care products, steroid hormones, surfactants and industrial organic chemicals.

Waste - water industry convergence paper (2017, AUS.GOV. DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT & Energy)

Ascend supported the University of Technology Sydney’s Institute of Sustainable Futures (ISF) to write a ‘think-piece’ paper for publication to raise awareness on the convergence of the water and waste sectors, highlighting the potential risks and opportunities of current trends to assist in creating and informing debate on this important emerging issue.

Persistent ORGANIC POLLUTANTS IN BIOSOLIDS (2016, ANZBP)

Ascend submitted a paper and presented it to the Australian and New Zealand Biosolids Partnership's (ANZBP) 2016 Biosolids and Source Management Conference in Melbourne. This paper focused on new POPs listed on the Stockholm Convention, their likely presence in Australian biosolids and the implications of current land application practices should these contaminants be present at elevated levels.

Various Ascend projects (2014-2017)

Hazardous waste in Australia 2017 and its 2015 predecessor, Hazardous waste market assessment, Hazardous waste stockpiles in Australia, the Hazardous waste infrastructure project and Cost benefit analysis of an e-waste ban, are all examples of recent Ascend projects where POPs data projections, risk assessment and policy analysis have featured prominently.

Various projects by AScend staff within other companies

Geoff Latimer conducted a range of POPs-specific projects while in previous employment at RAMBOLL ENVIRON and KMH Environmental, including Brominated flame retardant research for the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment and various POP-BDE review and analysis projects for the Australian Government.