Search

New “corpse disposal” theory tested in William Tyrrell inquest

A police theory that William Tyrrell's foster mother unlawfully disposed of the child's body after he died of an accident is set to be put before the court in an inquest into Tyrrell's disappearance. On Monday, counsel assisting Gerard Craddock SC reopened the inquest for a fifth round of evidence, saying the focus would be on the viability of the theory that William's body was purposefully disposed of. Police have alleged that after the then three-year-old died on the Kendall property on the mid-north NSW coast in September 2014, the foster mum might have loaded his body into her mother’s Mazda before driving down the road to dispose of his remains. Deputy NSW coroner Harriet Grahame heard in court that it was only then that she may have called triple zero to report the child missing. “Police assert that she must have quickly resolved that if the accidental death were to be discovered, she might lose (her other foster child),” Craddock said. Tyrrell's foster mother has long denied having any involvement with William's disappearance. Later in the inquest, evidence is set to be given from a truck driver who drove past where the foster mother allegedly disposed of the body at the time. The inquest into William’s disappearance began in March 2019 but was adjourned in October 2020. No one has been charged and a $1 million reward for information stands. Image credits: NSW Police

Legal

Why your reusable coffee cup may be no better than a disposable

Is any item more symbolic of our modern, disposable culture than the single-use coffee cup? In March 2016, they were vilified in celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s “War on Waste” campaign, when he drove a bus through London <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36882799">covered in 10,000 coffee cups</a>: the number the UK allegedly uses every two minutes. Thanks to a thin plastic lining that makes them waterproof, <a href="https://paper.org.uk/PDF/Public/Publications/Position%20Papers/CoffeeCupsSept17.pdf">most paper recycling mills</a> can’t efficiently process these coffee cups, and the majority are incinerated or sent to landfill. Even worse, they are typically made using virgin tree fibre rather than recycled paper, due to hygiene and food-contact requirements. Although Fearnley-Whittingstall’s campaign got many people outraged, our drinking habits haven’t slowed since: the number of coffee shops in the UK is projected to grow <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/657/657.pdf">from 20,000 to 30,000 by 2025</a>. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since the industry provides jobs, helps to preserve high streets, and sustains coffee growers in developing countries. But if coffee shops are here to stay, what is the best way to deal with the mountain of waste they generate? According to the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69403/pb13530-waste-hierarchy-guidance.pdf">waste hierarchy</a>, preventing waste should be the first priority. Reusable cups have surged in popularity and most major coffee shops offer a discount for customers that bring their own (often worth far more than the disposable cup itself). Nevertheless, reusable cups typically make <a href="https://www.bathecho.co.uk/news/business/boston-tea-party-250k-drop-sales-disposable-cup-ban-83583/">less than 5%</a> of sales. The unavoidable truth is that it simply isn’t convenient for people on the run to remember their cup, carry it around and wash it out between uses. What’s more, it can take <a href="http://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2017/07/reusable-or-disposable-which-coffee-cup-has-a-smaller-footprint/">between 20 and 100 uses</a> for a reusable cup to offset its higher greenhouse gas emissions compared to a disposable, due to the greater amount of energy and material required to make a durable product and the hot water needed to wash them. <a href="https://www.vegware.com/biodegradable-hot-cups/cat_4.html">Compostable coffee cups</a> can seem an attractive alternative since in theory they can leave no harmful residues or litter. But they only break down in industrial composting facilities along with collected food waste, and need dedicated collection streams free from non-compostable materials. With a bit of planning they can work, as demonstrated in the <a href="https://vimeo.com/user13480003">London 2012 Olympic Games</a>, but at the moment the UK is <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-47238220">not set up to deal with compostable packaging</a>. For now, they are best suited to closed environments such as canteens or tourist attractions where they are the only type of packaging used. It seems the disposable paper cup is here to stay for the foreseeable future. But things may not be as bad as they seem – even before Fearnley-Whittingstall raised the issue, major stakeholders across the coffee cup value chain, from paper cup manufacturers to coffee chains to waste processors, had come together to form the <a href="http://www.pcrrg.uk/">Paper Cup Recovery and Recycling Group (PCRRG)</a>. They realised that the virgin paper fibres used in each cup could be a valuable resource, if only the plastic lining could be removed. The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoAhhbfyiNY">technology already exists</a>, originally developed to recycle Tetra Pak-style liquid cartons. Essentially the cartons (or cups) are mixed with water and pulped for 20 minutes in a giant washing machine, which allows the plastic lining to be separated. The paper fibres are used again, while the plastic is recycled in garden furniture or building materials. Currently, three such plants in the UK accept coffee cups: combined, these have the capacity to recycle more than 4.5 billion cups each year – well above the estimated 2.5 billion the UK consumes each year (and that’s without displacing juice cartons and other uses). But even if the capacity is there, the collection infrastructure and economics also have to work. In a show of corporate social responsibility, most major chains will now accept any used cup for recycling, even if it was bought elsewhere. What’s more, Costa Coffee even pays a £70 supplement to waste collectors for each tonne of coffee cups recycled, <a href="https://www.whitbread.co.uk/media/press-releases/2018/news-content">increasing its value by 150%</a>and providing an economic incentive to divert them from landfill. New end markets are also increasing the demand for recycled coffee cups: Selfridges, for instance, is now <a href="http://www.jamescropper.com/selfridges-goes-full-circle-world-first-recycling/">“upcycling” coffee cups to make its distinct yellow bags</a>. Already this approach has made great progress, with the number of coffee cups being recycled jumping from one in 400 in 2016 to one in 25 in 2018. But even recycling isn’t perfect – it consumes a lot of energy, generates greenhouse gas emissions through transporting the cups to the correct facility and can be inefficient due to contamination from incorrect disposal. Once you take into account all the environmental costs incurred throughout a coffee cup’s production, use and disposal, it may be a better option in some areas to take used cups to a local energy-for-waste plant rather than transporting them long distances to be recycled. The search is on for an even <a href="https://www.nextgenconsortium.com/">more sustainable solution</a>. For instance a company called Cupffee has launched a <a href="https://www.cupffee.me/">coffee cup made of an edible wafer biscuit</a>. But it is worth remembering that coffee cups still only make up <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/657/657.pdf">around 0.7% of UK packaging waste</a>. And it’s estimated that packaging makes up <a href="https://www.huhtamaki.com/globalassets/global/highlights/responsibility/taking-a-closer-look-at-paper-cups-for-coffee.pdf">less than 5% of the total carbon footprint</a> of a takeaway latte in a disposable cup (consider: the oil used in fertiliser on the plantation, the jet fuel used to transport the coffee beans, the energy used to heat the coffee, and so on). There is a danger that their prominence could take the focus off bigger problems. In the meantime, why not resolve to rediscover the delight of dining in, with a proper china cup? And should you come across an abandoned coffee cup, you can do your good deed for the day and take it to the nearest collection point. Written by Caroline Wood. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-your-reusable-coffee-cup-may-be-no-better-than-a-disposable-120949">The Conversation</a>.

Home & Garden

What not to put down your waste disposal

People who have waste disposals often swear by them - but be warned: their powers only stretch so far. They might be able to make scraps disappear, but it is a triumph of machinery rather than magic. Mounted under your sink, a waste disposal consists of a chamber with a set of grinding teeth that disintegrates scraps before passing them in to your drain. Throw items down there carelessly and you're setting yourself up for repairs. Home renovation listing site Builderscrack.co.nz has a request for a waste disposal fix nearly every three days. "We have had just over 100 requests for waste disposal repairs just over the past year," said founder Jeremy Wyn-Harris, "[which is] more than I expected as we cover all trades." 1. Bones That chicken wing or fish bone sliver might look flimsy, but it's not. The grinding system in your waste disposal is simply not powerful enough to chew it up. "Waste disposals - the bane of my life," said plumber Dan Adams of The Drain Company. "Chicken bones, lamb bones, anything with meat doesn't belong in there." 2. Grease Sending oil or grease down the sink or waste disposal seems okay until it cools, solidifies and blocks your water pipes. "People will pour their roasting pans down there on a Sunday," said Adams, "It makes the pipes all gluggy." Over time, this means duller blades in your waste disposal, an icky smell in your kitchen, and blockages. Instead, collect excess fats and oil in a covered container and discard in the weekly rubbish, add to your compost bin, or dig into your garden. 3. Egg shells It's an old wives' tale that egg shells sharpen a waste disposal's grinding teeth. Though the white membrane inside the egg can get stuck around the ring itself, the real problem is that ground up egg shells take on a consistency similar to sand. Adams has not personally experienced a breakage to a waste disposal caused by an egg shell, just the problems that come afterwards. "They tend to build up in the pipework afterwards," he said. Combined with excess grease, it's a recipe for blocked pipes. 4. Some vegetable peels Stringy vegetables like celery, corn husks, artichokes, asparagus, carrots, lettuce, onions, and even potato peels cause problems. Anything fibrous can get stuck around the motor. Scraps like these are best sent to a compost heap. But if down the gurgler they must go, add them little by little and with cold water running all the while. 5. Coffee grounds Whilst it won't damage your disposal unit and may provide an interim scent refreshment, ground coffee is a big culprit when it comes to blocked kitchen pipes. "Coffee grounds, they're quite sludgy in pipes," said Adams. Instead, spread your grounds in your garden or even in your houseplants to repel bugs. 6. Rice and pasta They may seem benign enough but the water absorption properties of pasta and rice make them a no-go for under-sink disposal. Their remnants combine to form a gluggy paste in the waste disposal's chamber. 7. Non-food items Finally, non-food items like cigarette butts, ash, rubber bands, twist ties, paper towel, sponges, pull tabs or plant clippings do not belong in your waste disposal. Watch out for kids making little additions to your disposal when you're unawares. "Kids are normally quite naughty," said Adams, "putting things down there like toys, clothes pegs, buttons, and even tinfoil." "I've usually found this in, dare I say it, rental properties where people are not as careful." Written by Anabela Rea. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz.</a>

Home & Garden

Why you should never dispose of expired medications this way

As we enter the last few weeks of winter, many of us will begin preparations for the big spring clean. However, experts warn that when it comes to your medicine cabinet, there’s only one way to properly dispose of expired and unwanted medications. More than simply taking up space in your cupboard, out-of-date drugs can be incredibly dangerous, Toni Riley from the Return Unwanted Medicines national scheme (the RUM Project), explains. “The ingredients may not be active, so they might be ineffective or could potentially make you sick,” she tells <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-02/how-and-why-you-should-dispose-of-expired-and-unwanted-medicines/8763822" target="_blank">ABC Radio Canberra</a>. “The active ingredients can go off easily. Medicines are designed to be stored in specific temperature conditions and most of our homes don't comply with that and where people keep their medicines is not ideal.” In addition, having expired drugs in the house could be catastrophic for the little ones in your life. “We know about 5,000 children are hospitalised each year because they’ve taken medicines they’ve found in their own homes,” Riley explains. “So the less we have hanging around the better.” What you might not have known, however, is that you should never throw your unwanted medications in the bin or flush them down the toilet, as they inevitably end up in landfill and can wreak havoc on the environment. Instead, Riley says you should collect all your expired and unneeded medications, supplements, gels and creams, place them in a bag, and drop them off at your local pharmacy. This way, they will be disposed of properly. “There’s no questions, it’s all very private, it just goes straight into the RUM bin ... and then sealed up and sent off to a high-temperature incinerator.”

Caring

Review: Poopy Cat’s new disposable, biodegradable litter box

Before I start this review, I have a confession to make: I haven’t been a cat lover all my life. In fact, I was once decidedly not an animal person, but then two cats came into my life, and they’ve made a home in my heart ever since. It’s been three years and I am now wholeheartedly a (crazy) cat person. I want the very best for my pets and more importantly, I want them to be happy. Once seemingly ludicrous ideas – taking my indoor cat for a walk on a leash because it wanted to go outside (we didn’t walk much, but he enjoyed exploring the area) or genuinely trying to reassure my cat out loud that it’s okay he vomited on the floor (yet again) because it looked contrite – are all the norm now. So when I was asked to review Poopy Cat – an environmentally friendly, biodegradable kitty litter – I was on board. Clean as cats are, I still find scooping cat poop and urine to be my least favourite task as a cat-owner. And don’t get me started on washing out the litter tray… it must be done of course, but if there’s a litter box out there that makes my cat happy, and makes my life easier, sign me up. Poopy Cat is the world’s first disposable, fully biodegradable cat litter tray. It comes as a flat box, with litter in it, which easily pops open to form a private cardboard portaloo for your cat. The box is decorated in different colours and images – including an Australian themed one, which is quite fun. I was a bit sceptical about the durability of the box, but it held up to the cats’ inquisitiveness and the weather when I placed it outside on the balcony. <img width="500" height="250" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/23351/img_1982_500x250.jpg" alt="IMG_1982" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/> But the real test, of course, is whether the cats would use the new litter box. Cats being cats were intrigued by the new box in their kingdom (i.e. my apartment), immediately inspecting it, giving it a few tentative wacks with their paws, and rubbing their faces all over it to claim it as their own. But after a few days this hadn’t translated into using the new little box yet. It may have had something to do with the wooden pellet litter (made from waste from the wood industry) which is quite different to your standard kitty litter. My cats were not impressed with it, but a tip on the box recommending mixing their old litter to the new, to gradually introduce them to the new litter, did the trick. Litter scoops made out of cardboard are also provided to pick up the waste – all of which is biodegradable. So after an initial teething period, the cats embraced their new toilet with gusto. Best of all, after a week of use there was no need to change the litter or clean the box. I folded the box down and disposed of it all as green waste. Easy peasey! It was quick, no fuss, and simple. Then I assembled the next box and voila, a brand new clean litter box for the cats to use! Verdict: For cat-owners looking for an eco-friendly litter box, Poopy Cat is a great option. The box and litter are made from recycled materials and is fully biodegradable. It’s also great for owners seeking a quick and convenient litter box alternative, as there’s no need to worry about replacing litter or cleaning out the litter box. You simply dispose of the litter box as biodegradable waste and continue with the next one. I’d recommend it for people needing a litter box while travelling with their cat, those needing multiple litter boxes around the home, or people who don’t like handling litter boxes. The Poopy Cat Litter Box can be purchased online in a single order for $12.95 or in a pack of four for $39.95. You can also find further information on the litter boxes on <a href="https://www.worldforpets.com.au/products/49327" target="_blank">here</a>. Related links: <a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/03/top-10-favourite-cat-sleeping-positions/">Top 10 favourite cat sleeping positions</a> <a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/03/cutest-pet-criminal-duos/">10 of the cutest pet criminal duos</a> <a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/05/gallery-of-very-important-cat-jobs/">12 very important cat jobs</a>

Family & Pets

Our Partners

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Games

Information