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Check in from 9.30am in Portland Building. Grab a hot drink and pastry, and get ready for the day.

The conference will start with an introduction to the research we’re doing at the Revolution Plastics Institute. You’ll get a chance to meet key members of the research team including Professor Fay Couceiro, Professor Andy Pickford, Dr Tegan Evans and Dr Cressida Bowyer.

A creative take on an icebreaker, lead by Dr Cressida Bowyer, Deputy Director of the Revolution Plastics Institute.

Short breather. Take stock of the morning then get ready for the first session.

Research talks in this session include: 

1. Improving the sustainability of forensic consumables
2. To what extent has the structure and implementation of the INC process facilitated the development of an effective Global Plastics Treaty?
3. Fallout from a plastic sky: Looking for atmospherically deposited microplastics in the Arctic
4. Valorisation of textile wastes in fibre reinforced composites for engineering applications
5. Moor macaques (Macaca maura) interactions with plastic pollution in South Sulawesi (Indonesia)
6. A crisis hiding in plain sight – a scoping review of the rapidly growing sachet economy

Browse research posters and enjoy a vegan buffet lunch (provided) in the Portland Building Atrium.

Research posters titles include:

• Synthesis of Europium-Labelled Nanoplastics for Environmental Fate Investigations
• Quantifying, and Assessing the Impact of, Microplastics in U.K. Woodlands
• Evaluating the Management of Complex Plastic Products: How Policy and Innovation create Opportunities and Barriers within the Waste Hierarchy
• Designing novel enzymes for the biodegradation of nitrile plastics
• Enzyme Engineering for Nylon Recycling
• Enzymatic Recycling: The Future of Plastic Waste - Expressing and Characterizing Novel PET-Degrading Enzymes
• Investigating Marine Pollution through Plastics, Underwater Noise and eDNA: A Collaborative Approach To Inform Policy
• Understanding the lifecycle impacts of a single-portion sachet and refill alternatives in SE Asia
• Characterising PETase synergy in bulk and co-immobilized using Bacillus subtilis spore surface display
• Spatio-temporal variability of microplastics along Scotland's west coast
• The Fate of Compostable Labelled Packaging in Home Composting Systems
• Enhancing Plastic Degradation: Discovery and Optimization of Novel PET-Degrading Enzymes for Bio-Recycling
• Mesh optimisation for shoreline modelling: Current practices and uncertainties
• Plastic Vectors in the Air
• Could a civil liability convention be effective in providing a mechanism to enforce the polluter pays principle and reduce marine plastic pollution?

Research talks in this session include: 

1. Enhancing justice and social equity in the circular economy of plastics through traditional and indigenous knowledge systems
2. Taming Toxicity: Navigating the Global Plastics Treaty and Chemical Regulations
3. Finding the Needle: Strategic Screening for Discovery of Plastic-Degrading Bacteria in the Environment
4. Defining the biological importance of micro- and nano-plastics on liver and gastrointestinal health in humans.
5. Painting Microplastics: Defining a Generative Methodology for Future Microplastics Research
6. Exploring The Enablers And Barriers Of Recycling Plastic Waste In Indonesian Households
7. Contrasting the potential toxicity of tires that are and are not chemically green

Top up on tea and coffee and network with others at the conference.

Research talks in this session include: 

1. Investigating the fate of accelerated microplastic degradation in future climate change scenarios.
2. Quantification and Identification of Microplastics in English and Welsh Soils: A Study Using Nile Red Staining and Laser Direct Infrared Methods
3. Control of River Flooding on Microplastic Distribution within Coastal Deltas
4. Photodegradable Polymers for 3D Printing
5. Integrating Augmented Reality into Fashion Retail: Implications for Sustainable Development Goals and Environmental Sustainability
6. The role of habit in driving cigarette butt littering behaviour

Led by Professor Fay Couceiro.

Summary of Day 1 and a look ahead to the second day of the conference.

Join us at in ºÚÁÏÈë¿Ú for an evening meal and a chance to socialise with others attending the conference. You must have pre-booked your meal.

Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and a pastry on arrival.

Research talks in this session include: 

1. The Role of Solvents in Modifying PET Crystallinity and Enzymatic Hydrolysis in Post-Consumer PET and Textile Materials
2. Towards a Global Plastics Treaty: Navigating Policy Preferences and Economic Interests
3. Evaluation of thermostability and kinetic stability of HotPETase, a thermostable PET hydrolase, and its predecessors in a directed evolution design
4. Insights into physiochemical properties of tyre wear particles
5. Exploring Vegetation Complexity as a Driver of Microplastic Accumulation in Coastal Marshes
6. A Systems-Thinking Approach to Finding Solutions for Fishing Plastic Waste in Indonesia

Top up on tea and coffee and network with others at the conference.

Explore how to collaborate with researchers from other fields to increase the impact and societal benefits of your work. Dr Cressida Bowyer will present examples of successful collaborations between science, policy, and the arts. This will be followed by a facilitated workshop where you will develop your own ideas. 

Browse research posters and enjoy a vegan buffet lunch (provided) in the Portland Building Atrium. See Day 1 description for a list of the research posters.

Shiku Chege, a PhD researcher at the ºÚÁÏÈë¿Ú, will host a session on perceptions and language when it comes to waste.

Research talks in this session include: 

1. Microplastics in British coastal waters
2. Including Impacts of Microplastics in Life Cycle Assessment
3. Alkali treated Date Palm Fiber (DPF) into Dry-Blended Polycaprolactone (PCL) biocomposies for packaging application
4. Enhancing the biodegradability of polymers in open-temperate environments, using enzyme nano-composite material engineering
5. Evaluating the Management of Complex Plastic Products: How Policy and Innovation create Opportunities and Barriers within the Waste Hierarchy
6. Development of Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry for direct quantification of airborne microplastics

Enjoy a slice of cake while you reflect on the last two days and network with other delegates.

Join us to celebrate the researchers that gave the best overall short talk and poster. And find out who you have voted the winner of the conference photo competition.

A final round-up of the conference. Please do share your feedback about the event with us before you depart.