147 Keynote: Bioaerosols Associated with Waste and Recycling – Balancing the Circular Economy with Occupational Health and Safety

Abstract

Abstract Economic and environmental pressures are increasingly driving all areas of industry, not least waste and recycling. For many years waste disposal was the forgotten industrial sector, with little attention paid other than finding an out-of-the-way location for a landfill site. Initially, concerns about environmental consequences of pollution stimulated alternative approaches. This led to recycling becoming a virtue, then a legal necessity through reduce-reuse-recycle and targets driven by national and international legislation. However, the virtues and legal requirements to minimise single use disposal of waste materials and encouraging greater recycling has to be done without adding to human health risk. Domestic and commercial waste is by definition a complex and diverse mix of materials requiring separation into individual recyclable products. Despite increasing automation, waste recycling still remains (and will for some time to come) labour-intensive. Some practices associated with waste recycling may increase the potential for workers to be exposed to dusts, chemicals and, where organic materials are involved, bioaerosols (airborne micro-organisms or their products). Uncontrolled exposure to bioaerosols via inhalation can increase the potential for allergic lung disease, potentially putting waste and recycling workers at risk. Engineering control such as the use of local exhaust ventilation is feasible but can be difficult to apply, and personal protection often is not a practical alternative. This presentation will describe research showing potential exposure to bioaerosols in waste composting, materials recycling facilities and energy from waste, the possible health consequences of exposure, and will consider practical mitigations applicable to the industry.