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What is ‘slot hoarding’ – and is it locking out regional airlines like Rex?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/doug-drury-1277871">Doug Drury</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a></em></p> <p>It’s been a depressing year for regional aviation. Rex Airlines has just become the second Australian airline to go into voluntary administration this year, after Bonza’s collapse in April.</p> <p>Is Qantas’ chief executive Vanessa Hudson right – that there simply <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/australia-can-t-sustain-more-than-three-airlines-says-qantas-boss-20240714-p5jtlo.html">aren’t enough passengers</a> in Australia to support more than three airlines?</p> <p>That’s certainly a convenient narrative for the members of our domestic airline duopoly, Qantas and Virgin Australia, who now face even less competition.</p> <p>Or did Rex fall victim to other airlines’ strategic management to limit the number of airport slots available to them to successfully fly between the capital cities? This practice is known as “slot hoarding”.</p> <p>On Thursday, the former chair of the the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Rod Sims, seemed to think so, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/aug/01/rex-airlines-administration-qantas-virgin">telling ABC radio</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>The government outsources the management of the slots at Sydney airport to a company that’s majority-owned by Qantas and Virgin, it is just unbelievable.</p> </blockquote> <p>It’s certainly not a new allegation. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/06/rex-and-bonza-call-for-immediate-overhaul-of-sydney-airport-laws-to-increase-competition">Rex</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/06/rex-and-bonza-call-for-immediate-overhaul-of-sydney-airport-laws-to-increase-competition">Bonza</a>, and the <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/transport/accc-warns-sydney-airport-slots-manager-has-conflicts-of-interest-20231220-p5espy">ACCC</a> have all previously raised concerns.</p> <p>So how exactly do airline slots work, and does the system need reform?</p> <h2>What are slots?</h2> <p>Back in the 1970s, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) developed the airline slot system to reduce airport congestion. The aim was to improve the traffic flow during peak travel times at “level 3” high traffic density airports – a category that includes Sydney and Melbourne.</p> <p>Under the system, airlines are allocated a daily number of slots they can use. Importantly, there is a set amount of slots available, as they represent specific time windows for aircraft to take off or land.</p> <p>Airlines <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trb.2018.04.005">schedule</a> their slots ahead of time as part of a yield management program. This plan looks across the whole calendar year, taking into account projected peak and off-peak travel times for business and leisure travellers.</p> <p>An airline owns the time slot it is designated by the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trb.2018.04.005">airport infrastructure</a> capacity, whether it gets used or not.</p> <p>The IATA system relies on what’s called the “<a href="https://australianaviation.com.au/2024/02/80-20-rule-looks-to-survive-government-overhaul-of-sydney-slots/#:%7E:text=Currently%2C%20an%20airline%20can%20keep,calls%20it%20%E2%80%9Ctoo%20generous%E2%80%9D.">80/20 rule</a>”, which states an airline must use 80% of its allocated slots or it will loose its unused slots. The 20% is a buffer. But it has been <a href="https://australianaviation.com.au/2024/02/80-20-rule-looks-to-survive-government-overhaul-of-sydney-slots/">criticised</a> as overly generous.</p> <p>Airlines can also <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1000936123002340">buy sell or lease</a>, slots they are not using due to slow demand or the need for financial gain. These can sell for <a href="https://simpleflying.com/biggest-airport-slot-deals-list/">huge sums</a>.</p> <h2>Can slots be hoarded?</h2> <p>Broadly speaking, slot hoarding is the practice of booking slots for use only to cancel them in bad faith, preventing other airlines from getting access to premium travel times.</p> <p>In June last year, Rex’s then-deputy-chairman John Sharp <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/06/rex-and-bonza-call-for-immediate-overhaul-of-sydney-airport-laws-to-increase-competition">accused Qantas</a> of engaging in the practice:</p> <blockquote> <p>It’s as plain as the nose on your face that Qantas is hoarding slots by cancelling sufficient flights to remain within the 80/20 rule.</p> </blockquote> <p>Slot availability is a particular <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/transport/accc-warns-sydney-airport-slots-manager-has-conflicts-of-interest-20231220-p5espy">issue for Sydney Airport</a>, because takeoffs and landings are capped at 80 per hour.</p> <p>Sydney Airport Corporation’s executive general manager of aviation, Robert Wood, as well as the airport’s then-chief-executive Geoff Culbert also both expressed <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-21/airlines-qantas-virgin-slot-hoarding-solving-problems/103110390">serious concerns</a> about slot use last year.</p> <p>In February this year, the federal government unveiled a <a href="https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/c-king/media-release/reforming-sydney-airport-slots-boost-efficiency-competition-and-consumers-outcomes">range of reforms</a> for Sydney airport’s slot system. These included requirements for increased transparency on how slots are used, and new independent audits.</p> <p>Notably though, the government made <a href="https://australianaviation.com.au/2024/02/80-20-rule-looks-to-survive-government-overhaul-of-sydney-slots/">no change</a> to the 80/20 rule.</p> <h2>What needs to change?</h2> <p>A number of further reforms could help make the airport system friendlier to new entrants and more equitable.</p> <p>One possibility is to <em>sell</em> a predefined number of slots to the major participating airlines. Airlines would have to make a business case outlining their proposed needs over the next calendar year.</p> <p>Currently, airlines request slots from the airport slot management team at no cost to the airline, a system which favours established airlines that have met the 80/20 rule.</p> <p>But a key criticism of this proposal is that the cost of purchasing slots <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-21/airlines-qantas-virgin-slot-hoarding-solving-problems/103110390">would be passed down</a> to the flying public, likely resulting in higher airfares. Bidding for slots would also add new cost barriers to entry for would-be startup challengers.</p> <p>Another possibility is to look at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2019.0926">slot allocation based on fairness</a>, measuring an airline’s needs against airport infrastructure.</p> <p>Airlines that had historically used 80% of their allocated slots would be given priority bidding on <em>up to 50%</em> of the following year’s total airport slot allocation.</p> <p>The remaining 50% of slots could be prioritised for new airlines without an established history, with the goal of awarding them take off and landing times that aren’t necessarily premium, but close enough.</p> <p>Airlines that didn’t achieve this 80% target or were found to be abusing the slot hoarding rules would be removed from the top-tier fairness status and placed in a slot allocation “sin bin” until their performance measures were brought up to standards.</p> <p>Australia has challenges ahead for domestic flights that are already at capacity. Government reforms that provide better oversight of airport usage of the 80/20 rule could help mitigate the risk of anti-competitive behaviour.</p> <p>Australian airlines have the right to compete without feeling unfairly held back, and we as consumers have the right to reasonable airfares. <!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/235960/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/doug-drury-1277871">Doug Drury</a>, Professor/Head of Aviation, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-slot-hoarding-and-is-it-locking-out-regional-airlines-like-rex-235960">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Travel Trouble

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Why do people with hoarding disorder hoard, and how can we help?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jessica-grisham-37825">Jessica Grisham</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/keong-yap-1468967">Keong Yap</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/melissa-norberg-493004">Melissa Norberg</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174">Macquarie University</a></em></p> <p>Hoarding disorder is an under-recognised serious mental illness that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25909628/">worsens with age</a>. It affects <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31200169/">2.5% of the working-age population</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27939851/">7% of older adults</a>. That’s about 715,000 Australians.</p> <p>People who hoard and their families often feel ashamed and don’t get the support they need. Clutter can make it hard to do things most of us take for granted, such as eating at the table or sleeping in bed.</p> <p>In the gravest cases, homes are completely unsanitary, either because it has become impossible to clean or because the person <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23482436/">saves garbage</a>. The <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18275935/">strain on the family</a> can be extreme – couples get divorced, and children grow up feeling unloved.</p> <p>So why do people with hoarding disorder hoard? And how can we help?</p> <h2>What causes hoarding disorder?</h2> <p>Saving millions of objects, many worthless by objective standards, often makes little sense to those unfamiliar with the condition.</p> <p>However, most of us<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X21000282?via%3Dihub"> become attached to at least a few possessions</a>. Perhaps we love the way they look, or they trigger fond memories.</p> <p>Hoarding involves this same type of object attachment, as well over-reliance on possessions and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32402421/">difficulty being away from them</a>.</p> <p>Research has shown genetic factors play a role but there is no one <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27445875/">single gene that causes hoarding disorder</a>. Instead, a range of psychological, neurobiological, and social factors can be at play.</p> <p>Although some who hoard report being deprived of material things in childhood, emotional deprivation may play a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20934847/">stronger role</a>.</p> <p>People with hoarding problems often report excessively cold parenting, difficulty connecting with others, and more <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34717158/">traumatic experiences</a>.</p> <p>They may end up believing people are unreliable and untrustworthy, and that it’s better to rely on objects for comfort and safety.</p> <p>People with hoarding disorder are often as attached or perhaps <a href="https://akjournals.com/view/journals/2006/11/3/article-p941.xml">more attached to possessions</a> than to the people in their life.</p> <p>Their experiences have taught them their self-identity is tangled up in what they own; that if they part with their possessions, they will lose themselves.</p> <p>Research shows <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005789421000253?via%3Dihub">interpersonal problems</a>, such as loneliness, are linked to greater <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32853881/">attachment to objects</a>.</p> <p>Hoarding disorder is also associated with high rates of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34923357/">attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder</a>. Difficulties with <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30907337/">decision-making</a>, planning, <a href="https://akjournals.com/view/journals/2006/12/3/article-p827.xml">attention</a> and categorising can make it hard to organise and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20542489/">discard possessions</a>.</p> <p>The person ends up avoiding these tasks, which leads to unmanageable levels of clutter.</p> <h2>Not everyone takes the same path to hoarding</h2> <p>Most people with hoarding disorder also have strong beliefs about their possessions. For example, they are more likely to see beauty or usefulness in things and believe objects possess <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1025428631552">human-like qualities</a> such as intentions, emotions, or free will.</p> <p>Many also feel responsible for objects and for the environment. While others may not think twice about discarding broken or disposable things, people with hoarding disorder can <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30041077/">anguish over their fate</a>.</p> <p>This need to control, rescue, and protect objects is often at odds with the beliefs of friends and family, which can lead to conflict and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32853881/">social isolation</a>.</p> <p>Not everyone with hoarding disorder describes the same pathway to overwhelming clutter.</p> <p>Some report more cognitive difficulties while others may have experienced more emotional deprivation. So it’s important to take an individualised approach to treatment.</p> <h2>How can we treat hoarding disorder?</h2> <p>There is specialised cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) tailored for hoarding disorder. <a href="https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/46862/chapter-abstract/413932715?redirectedFrom=fulltext">Different strategies</a> are used to address the different factors contributing to a person’s hoarding.</p> <p>Cognitive-behavioural therapy can also help people understand and gradually challenge their beliefs about possessions.</p> <p>They may begin to consider how to remember, connect, feel safe, or express their identity in ways other via inanimate objects.</p> <p>Treatment can also help people learn the skills needed to organise, plan, and discard.</p> <p>Regardless of their path to hoarding, most people with hoarding disorder will benefit from a degree of exposure therapy.</p> <p>This helps people gradually learn to let go of possessions and resist acquiring more.</p> <p>Exposure to triggering situations (such as visiting shopping centres, op-shops or mounds of clutter without collecting new items) can help people learn to tolerate their urges and distress.</p> <p>Treatment can happen in an individual or group setting, and/or via <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35640322/">telehealth</a>.</p> <p>Research is underway on ways to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34409679/">improve</a> the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666915322001421">treatment</a> options further through, for example, learning different emotional regulation strategies.</p> <h2>Sometimes, a harm-avoidance approach is best</h2> <p>Addressing the emotional and behavioural drivers of hoarding through cognitive behavioural therapy is crucial.</p> <p>But hoarding is different to most other psychological disorders. Complex cases may require lots of different agencies to work together.</p> <p>For example, health-care workers may work with fire and housing officers to ensure the person can <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31984612/">live safely at home</a>.</p> <p>When people have severe hoarding problems but are reluctant to engage in treatment, a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21360706/">harm-avoidance approach</a> may be best. This means working with the person with hoarding disorder to identify the most pressing safety hazards and come up with a practical plan to address them.</p> <p>We must continue to improve our understanding and treatment of this complex disorder and address barriers to accessing help.</p> <p>This will ultimately help reduce the devastating impact of hoarding disorder on individuals, their families, and the community.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208102/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jessica-grisham-37825">Jessica Grisham</a>, Professor in Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/keong-yap-1468967">Keong Yap</a>, Associate Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/melissa-norberg-493004">Melissa Norberg</a>, Professor in Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174">Macquarie University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-people-with-hoarding-disorder-hoard-and-how-can-we-help-208102">original article</a>.</em></p>

Mind

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7 deadly sins that lead to hoarding

<p>If you’ve watched <em>Enough Already!</em> on <em>Oprah</em> with equal parts sympathy and fear, thinking to yourself “That better not be me one day”, then you’ll want to read on. Non-hoarders tend to picture hoarders as people who have rooms brimming with old newspapers piled to the roof and hallway cupboards that they can not open for fear of the contents swallowing them up. The word hoarder just sounds dirty. While researchers are still trying to understand the disorder, here are some clues that could signal you need to enlist some help. </p> <p><strong>Every room has a “storage area”</strong> – If your dedicated storage area is so full that you need to keep the extra microwave in the living room, you may have a problem. When your storage overflows into the rest of the home and continues to grow – check yourself.
</p> <p><strong>Keeping old magazines and newspapers</strong> – Do you hold on magazines and newspapers thinking, “I might like to reread that one day…” Stop it! Just get rid of them. Apart from coffee table-worthy magazines, everything should be thrown out. Besides a lot of stuff is now online.
</p> <p><strong>Storing clothes you don’t wear</strong> – While it’s ok to hold onto your favourite band T-shirt from your younger years, holding onto old clothes – especially those that don’t fit or have holes in them – it just plain silly. Donate all items that fall into this category to charity immediately!</p> <p><strong>Stowing away broken electronics and appliances</strong> – Don’t kid yourself, you’re never go to get around to fixing that printer or TV! Recycle or donate used electronic items that you no longer use.</p> <p><strong>Storing free loot (aka junk)</strong> – Yes, yes we’ve all fallen victim to being giddy with excitement over a free key ring or pen we pocketed at a show or the RTA. But just because you got a free mug doesn’t mean it should be stashed in your drawer or kitchen never to see the light of day again. Chuck it!</p> <p><strong>Your car becomes “extra” storage</strong> – If you keep more than just spare tire and pair of shoes in your car boot, then you are hoarder territory. If you need to keep DVDs and camping gear in the car because they wont fit in the house, it’s time for drop-off to the Salvos. </p> <p><strong>Daily life becomes musical chairs</strong> – If there is no where to sit and eat dinner because every chair is piled high with papers and you can’t sleep comfortably because the bed is covered in clothes, seek help immediately!</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p>

Home Hints & Tips

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Mobile phone hoarding: e-waste not good news for the environment

<p>What happened to your previous mobile phone after you upgraded or replaced it? Did it go in a drawer? A box in the garage, perhaps?</p> <p>Today marks International E Waste Day, with this year’s slogan, “Recycle it all, no matter how small!”, specifically targeting small devices with a high recycling value that are often hoarded for years before they become waste.</p> <p>It’s a timely reminder, as results from surveys conducted across Europe suggest that the roughly 5.3 billion mobiles and smartphones dropping out of use this year would reach a height of around 50,000 km if stacked flat and on top of each other.</p> <p>That’s well-and-truly over the average orbiting height of the International Space Station and about an eighth of the distance to the moon.</p> <p>“In 2022 alone, small EEE (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) items such as cell phones, electric toothbrushes, toasters and cameras produced worldwide will weigh an estimated total of 24.5 million tonnes – four times the weight of the Great Pyramid of Giza”, says Magdalena Charytanowicz of the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Forum, responsible for organising <a href="https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/events/international-e-waste-day-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">International E Waste Day</a>. “And these small items make up a significant proportion of the 8% of all e-waste thrown into trash bins and eventually landfilled or incinerated.”</p> <p>With their valuable components of <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/critical-minerals-mining-australia/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gold, copper, silver, palladium and other materials</a>, mobile phones ranked fourth amongst small Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) hoarded or unrecoverably discarded – that is put in draws, cupboards or garages – rather than repaired or recycled – or sent to landfill or for incineration.</p> <p>The surveys ran for four months from June 2022 and covered 8,775 households across Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, Romani, Slovenia and the UK and asked participants about common items such as phones, tablets, laptops, electric tools, hair dryers, toasters and other appliances. The top five hoarded small EEE products were (in order): small electronics and accessories (e.g., headphones, remotes), small equipment (e.g., clocks, irons), small IT equipment (e.g., hard drives, routers, keyboards, mice), mobile and smartphones, small food preparation appliances (e.g., toasters, grills).</p> <p>Italy hoarded the highest number of small EEE products, while Lebanon hoarded the least.</p> <p>You might recognise some of the reasons given, which included potential future use, plans to sell or give away, sentimental value, future value, use in a secondary residence or contains sensitive data. Others were also unsure how to dispose of the item or felt there was no incentive to recycle it, and some argued that they’d forgotten, didn’t have time or that the item didn’t take up very much space.</p> <p>This is a shame because such items, despite being small, pack a big punch in recyclability.</p> <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p218602-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> <form class="wpcf7-form mailchimp-ext-0.5.62 spai-bg-prepared init" action="/earth/e-waste-mobile-phone-bad-news-environment/#wpcf7-f6-p218602-o1" method="post" novalidate="novalidate" data-status="init"> <p style="display: none !important;"><span class="wpcf7-form-control-wrap referer-page"><input class="wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text referer-page" name="referer-page" type="hidden" value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/" data-value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/" aria-invalid="false" /></span></p> <p><!-- Chimpmail extension by Renzo Johnson --></form> </div> </div> <p>“We focussed this year on small e-waste items because it is very easy for them to accumulate unused and unnoticed in households, or to be tossed into the ordinary garbage bin”, says Pascal Leroy, Director General of the WEEE Forum, who have organised International E Waste Day. “People tend not to realise that all these seemingly insignificant items have a lot of value, and together at a global level represent massive volumes.”</p> <p>“These devices offer many important resources that can be used in the production of new electronic devices or other equipment, such as wind turbines, electric car batteries or solar panels – all crucial for the green, digital transition to low-carbon societies,” says Charytanowicz.</p> <h4>What can be done about e-waste?</h4> <p>At the governmental level, there are a number of initiatives including legislation that are coming into effect or being tightened up in order to address this increasing problem.</p> <p>“The continuing growth in the production, consumption and disposal of electronic devices has huge environmental and climate impacts,” says Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries. “The European Commission is addressing those with proposals and measures throughout the whole product life-cycle, starting from design until collection and proper treatment when electronics become waste.”</p> <p>“Moreover, preventing waste and recovering important raw materials from e-waste is crucial to avoid putting more strain on the world’s resources. Only by establishing a <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/can-a-circular-economy-eliminate-e-waste/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">circular economy</a> for electronics, the EU will continue to lead in the efforts to urgently address the fast-growing problem of e-waste.”</p> <p>There is also a role for more education and communication.</p> <p>Launched today by UNITAR, the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), is the first self-paced e-waste<a href="https://www.uncclearn.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> online training course</a> open to anyone. A UNITAR certificate is available upon graduation of the roughly 1.5-hour course which aims to use scientific findings in a practical way for international training and capacity building,” says Nikhil Seth, UNITAR’s Executive Director.</p> <p>Finally, The WEEE Forum has been actively involved in collecting, de-polluting, recycling or preparing for re-use more than 30 million tonnes of WEEE and has also run communication campaigns for almost twenty years.</p> <p>“Providing collection boxes in supermarkets, pick up of small broken appliances upon delivery of new ones and offering PO Boxes to return small e-waste are just some of the initiatives introduced to encourage the return of these items,” says WEEE’s Leroy.</p> <p>At the personal level, all you have to do is quite your hoarding habits and recycle, instead!</p> <p><!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --></p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=218602&amp;title=Mobile+phone+hoarding%3A+e-waste+not+good+news+for+the+environment" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><!-- End of tracking content syndication --></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/e-waste-mobile-phone-bad-news-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/clare-kenyon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clare Kenyon</a>. </em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> </div>

Technology

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Barcelona plagued by hoards of wild boars

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Barcelona has been battling an influx of wild boars, with many venturing into the city and digging through bins and even attacking celebrities.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Latin pop star </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-trouble/shakira-claims-she-was-attacked-and-robbed-by-wild-boars-in-barcelona" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shakira</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> had to fight off several boars in September while walking in a park with her eight-year-old son. Though she made light of the incident on social media, local experts have taken action to manage the problem, which has been exacerbated by COVID-19 lockdowns.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height:0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845846/boars1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1bacf4d303274553ac4d695fff1f1b1f" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">A wild boar foraging in Molins de Rei, Barcelona in 2020. Image: Getty Images</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“So many wild boars in Barcelona, because in this case Barcelona is acting as an ecological sink,” veterinarian Carles Conejero told the</span> <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-59352740" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">BBC</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It means that the excess of wild boar population, they see Barcelona [as] a suitable environment to disperse.” </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">City Hall has been trapping the wild animals, then taking samples before killing them humanely.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though the decision has upset animal rights groups, Carles has said it has become necessary.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> “When they are piglets they are so nice and they are not dangerous,” he explained.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But when they grow and they cause problems, they attack humans [and] dogs or they cause traffic accidents, then [they] are the animals that we need to remove.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Travel Trouble

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"Pretty stupid": Woman slammed for Woolies toilet paper stunt

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A woman in Sydney has gone viral on TikTok after filming herself performing a toilet paper stunt at a Sydney Woolworths during the current COVID-19 outbreak and resurgence of panic buying.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The video depicts a young woman standing in the back aisle of a Woolies with empty shelves, with a stacked pallet of toilet paper packets sitting in the middle of the aisle.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the footage, the woman is seen running up and jumping onto the pallet, sending packs of toilet paper to the floor and squashing others.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She then raises her hands, cheering and celebrating with two other female friends before the video ends.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since the video was uploaded on Monday, June 28, it has amassed more than 167,800 views, 3400 likes, and 124 shares.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many of the comments criticised the woman for her actions, especially with current shortages of the valuable product.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You just jumped on Sydney’s most wanted product at the moment,” one user wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You should be ashamed of yourself,” another said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Enjoy your 10 minutes of fame,” a third wrote, while another described it as an act of “stupidity”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The woman has responded to the backlash with sarcastic comments and laughing emojis on both her TikTok video and her Instagram account.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The stupidity in this video is truly strong,” one person commented.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s pretty stupid aye hahah thx,” she replied.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Woolworths spokesperson has also made a statement regarding the video.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We’ve been made aware of a video on social media which appears to be in one of our stores,” the spokesperson told </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">7News</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We’re currently looking into the circumstances surrounding it.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As a result of the panic buying, both Woolworths and Coles have had to reintroduce shopping limits on toilet paper.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Yahoo!News</span></em></p>

Legal

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“Unfair and greedy”: Furious Woolies customer lashes out at shopper

<p><span>A Woolies shopper has lashed out at a customer, after describing her as a “hoarder” for her “enormous” grocery shop at a grocery store in Victoria.</span><br /><br /><span>The disgruntled customer took to the Woolies Facebook page on Sunday to write they were “disappointed” and “angry” when a woman spent about $1200 at a store in Highett, in Melbourne’s southeast.</span><br /><br /><span>“Her items included about 15 trays of mince. So, so selfish,” the customer said.</span><br /><br /><span>The shopper was able to buy these items just before the supermarket reinstated purchase limits in the state.</span><br /><br /><span>The post was joined alongside by an image of the grocery belt that included several packets of mince, eggs and other groceries.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837401/woolies-masked-singer-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/81545298162343ca86c1824df8a27187" /><br /><br /><span>“I was the only person who challenged her. Manager was ‘not in yet’,” the customer went on to say.</span><br /><br /><span>The upset shopper urged Woolworths to “stand up to these disgusting individuals” and went on to describe the customer as “unfair and greedy”.</span><br /><br /><span>The post bought in a number of comments - many of which did not agree with the original poster’s opinion.</span><br /><br /><span>“How does this affect you?” one person wrote.</span><br /><br /><span>“I’m concerned for others who do miss out due to selfish hoarders,” the original poster responded.</span><br /><br /><span>Another commented: “I think it’s sad that there are ‘disgusting individuals’ who think it’s their job to ‘challenge’ and criticise complete strangers on their grocery purchases while knowing nothing about their situation.”</span><br /><br /><span>Several other commenters agreed and suggested that perhaps the woman doing the large grocery shop may have a fair explanation for buying so many groceries.</span><br /><br /><span>“She may shop for a daycare centre or group home,” one said.</span><br /><br /><span>“I thought the same thing, that person could be getting things for elderly neighbours, could also be for a small business, or they may have a huge family – who knows,” another added.</span><br /><br /><span>The original poster replied to followers and said she felt there should have been a purchase limit on the items but people continued to reply and said there were a number of reasons for someone to make such a large purchase.</span><br /><br /><span>“Some people shop for one month at time and live a long way from a Woolworths,” a person suggested.</span><br /><br /><span>“This is a normal shop in my mum’s household, I dare you to say something to her,” another wrote.</span><br /><br /><span>People with large families responded and defended the “enormous” shop.</span><br /><br /><span>“I have eight kids plus myself and hubby, and we shop fortnightly. I know people are going to judge and comment, this is the reason why most people like myself have anxiety attacks because of the judgement we get for shopping for larger families,” a woman said.</span><br /><br /><span>Another woman took to the comments to defend big bulk purchasing, and urged the original poster not to make assumptions.</span><br /><br /><span>“My work provides meals for people with disabilities and more often than not our shop looks like this,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“I get your assumption and do understand your frustration as it has made it hard for us to continue our service. But we must alway remember an assumption is just that,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>Yahoo News Australia has contacted Woolworths for comment.</span></p>

Food & Wine

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“It works!”: Mum reveals genius hack to save toilet paper during pandemic times

<p>An Aussie mum has shared her latest hack that makes toilet paper last longer.</p> <p>She shared the hack on the<span> </span>Mums Who Budget &amp; Save<span> </span>Facebook page, the mum explained that she squashes the toilet paper roll down before placing it on the holder.</p> <p>This hack means that the toilet paper can’t spin easily on the holder, meaning her kids use less toilet paper with each trip to the loo.</p> <p>“Kids home from school?,” the mum wrote.</p> <p>“Going through toilet paper faster than usual?</p> <p>“Try squashing the roll - so it doesn’t spin so quickly and then not as much will be pulled off.”</p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height:0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7835581/toilet-paper-body.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a647a15db7834275bab8756cf6c8c96a" /></p> <div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p><em>Photo credit: New Idea Food</em></p> <p>Others described it as a game-changer and the hack has thrilled other mums.</p> <p>“Mind blowing!,” one mum said.</p> <p>“I’m definitely trying this - for me!”</p> <p>“Will be doing this for hubby,” another shared, adding: “I hear that toilet roll holder spin &amp; I just cringe!”</p> <p>“My kids would just pull it until it stops.”</p> <p>“How can something so simple be so genius,” a third person said.</p> <p>Others shared their hacks, including measuring a line that was three or four squares long.</p> <p>“Draw a line three or four squares down,” she advised. “Easy measurement for all.”</p> <p>One mum said that removing the roll all together is an easy fix.</p> <p>“[This is the same as] me putting the toilet paper out of my kids reach so he has to yell out to me to ration out to him,” she wrote.</p> <p>“We don’t put it on the roll as kids use a lot less when it not on,” another agreed.</p> </div> </div> </div>

Home & Garden

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Why your brain evolved to hoard supplies and shame others for doing the same

<p>The media is replete with COVID-19 stories about people clearing supermarket shelves – and the backlash against them. Have people gone mad? How can one individual be overfilling his own cart, while shaming others who are doing the same?</p> <p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TFX9eJ0AAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">As a behavioral neuroscientist</a> who has studied hoarding behavior for 25 years, I can tell you that this is all normal and expected. People are acting the way evolution has wired them.</p> <p><strong>Stockpiling provisions</strong></p> <p>The word “hoarding” might bring to mind relatives or neighbors whose houses are overfilled with junk. A small percentage of people do suffer from what psychologists call “<a href="https://hoarding.iocdf.org">hoarding disorder</a>,” keeping excessive goods to the point of distress and impairment.</p> <p>But hoarding is actually a <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/interdisciplinary-science-consumption">totally normal and adaptive behavior</a> that kicks in any time there is an uneven supply of resources. Everyone hoards, even during the best of times, without even thinking about it. People like to have beans in the pantry, money in savings and chocolates hidden from the children. These are all hoards.</p> <p>Most Americans have had so much, for so long. People forget that, not so long ago, survival often depended on working tirelessly all year to <a href="https://dustyoldthing.com/forgotten-root-cellars/">fill root cellars</a> so a family could last through a long, cold winter – and still many died.</p> <p>Similarly, <a href="https://emammal.wordpress.com/2013/09/24/gray-squirrels-and-scatter-hoarding/">squirrels work all fall to hide nuts</a> to eat for the rest of the year. Kangaroo rats in the desert <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-3472(05)81018-8">hide seeds the few times it rains</a> and then remember where they put them to dig them back up later. A Clark’s nutcracker <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2015/12/03/how-a-5-ounce-bird-stores-10000-maps-in-its-head/">can hoard over 10,000 pine seeds</a> per fall – and even remember where it put them.</p> <p>Similarities between human behavior and these animals’ are not just analogies. They reflect a deeply ingrained capacity for brains to motivate us to acquire and save resources that may not always be there. Suffering from hoarding disorder, stockpiling in a pandemic or hiding nuts in the fall – all of these behaviors are motivated less by logic and more by a <a href="https://www.livescience.com/32773-what-causes-hoarding.html">deeply felt drive to feel safer</a>.</p> <p>My colleagues and I have found that stress seems to signal the brain to switch into “get hoarding” mode. For example, a kangaroo rat will act very lazy if fed regularly. But <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2009.0225">if its weight starts to drop</a>, its brain signals to release stress hormones that incite the fastidious hiding of seeds all over the cage.</p> <p>Kangaroo rats will also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7036.119.2.187">increase their hoarding if a neighboring animal steals</a> from them. Once, I returned to the lab to find the victim of theft with all his remaining food stuffed into his cheek pouches — the only safe place.</p> <p>People do the same. If in our lab studies my colleagues and I make them feel anxious, our study subjects <a href="https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/under-pressure-stress-and-decision-making/comment-page-1">want to take more stuff home</a> with them afterward.</p> <p>Demonstrating this shared inheritance, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.01.033">the same brain areas are active</a> when people decide to take home toilet paper, bottled water or granola bars, as when rats store lab chow under their bedding – the orbitofrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, regions that generally help organize goals and motivations to satisfy needs and desires.</p> <p><a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-hoarding-and-acquiring-9780199937783">Damage to this system can even induce abnormal hoarding</a>. One man who suffered frontal lobe damage had a sudden urge to hoard bullets. Another could not stop “borrowing” others’ cars. Brains across species use these ancient neural systems to ensure access to needed items – or ones that feel necessary.</p> <p>So, when the news induces a panic that stores are running out of food, or that residents will be trapped in place for weeks, the brain is programmed to stock up. It makes you <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hope-relationships/201409/the-psychology-behind-hoarding">feel safer, less stressed</a>, and actually protects you in an emergency.</p> <p><strong>More than a fair share</strong></p> <p>At the same time they’re organizing their own stockpiles, people get upset about those who are taking too much. That is a legitimate concern; it’s a version of the “<a href="https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/TragedyoftheCommons.html">tragedy of the commons</a>,” wherein a public resource might be sustainable, but people’s tendency to take a little extra for themselves degrades the resource to the point where it can no longer help anyone.</p> <p>By shaming others on social media, for instance, people exert what little influence they have to ensure cooperation with the group. As a social species, human beings thrive when they work together, and have <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100501013529.htm">employed shaming – even punishment – for millennia</a> to ensure that everyone acts in the best interest of the group.</p> <p>And it works. Twitter users went after a guy reported to have hoarded 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer in the hopes of turning a profit; he ended up donating all of it and is under <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/technology/matt-colvin-hand-sanitizer-donation.html">investigation for price gouging</a>. Who wouldn’t pause before grabbing those last few rolls of TP when the mob is watching?</p> <p>People will continue to hoard to the extent that they are worried. They will also continue to shame others who take more than what they consider a fair share. Both are normal and adaptive behaviors that evolved to balance one another out, in the long run.</p> <p>But that’s cold comfort for someone on the losing end of a temporary imbalance – like a health care worker who did not have protective gear when they encountered a sick patient. The survival of the group hardly matters to the person who dies, or to their parent, child or friend.</p> <p>One thing to remember is that the news selectively depicts stockpiling stories, presenting audiences with the most shocking cases. Most people are not <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/03/03/coronavirus-hand-sanitizer-face-masks-price-gouging-amazon-walmart-ebay/4933920002/">charging $400 for a mask</a>. Most are just trying to protect themselves and their families, the best way they know how, while also <a href="https://www.mother.ly/news/uplifting-stories-of-people-helping-each-other-during-coronavirus">offering aid wherever they can</a>. That’s <a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/how-does-social-behavior-evolve-13260245/">how the human species evolved</a>, to get through challenges like this together.<!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephanie-preston-1006858"><em>Stephanie Preston</em></a><em>, Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-michigan-1290">University of Michigan</a></em></span></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/your-brain-evolved-to-hoard-supplies-and-shame-others-for-doing-the-same-134634">original article</a>.</em></p>

Mind

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Karl Stefanovic’s desperate plea and heartfelt apology

<p><em>Today</em> show host Karl Stefanovic went on an incensed rant on air over the panic buying crisis currently plaguing the nation in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.</p> <p>The <em>Today</em> show host launched a desperate plea after wrapping up an interview with a Coles staff member who urged Australians to “be kind with each other, be patient with teams, today when you are in there, say thank you or give a nice gesture.”</p> <p>“That's good advice,” Stefanovic said in response.</p> <p>“I was in one (supermarket) yesterday, I was walking through the aisles, there was a mother, she had a baby in the pram and she had a toddler right on top of the baby creating all this noise and mayhem and she was looking at the shelves, she had nappies under one arm, she was looking at the empty shelves …</p> <p>“You could see the desperation in her face because the stuff that she wanted wasn’t there.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Distribution centers around the country are full to the brim of toilet paper but demand levels have slowed the dispersal to supermarkets. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9Today?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#9Today</a> <a href="https://t.co/oLosSwYk77">pic.twitter.com/oLosSwYk77</a></p> — The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTodayShow/status/1240391109949431810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>“These are the sort of things people are experiencing. It is really hard.”</p> <p>The emotional rant follows behind Prime Minister Scott Morrison blasting people across the country for bulk buying essential supplies.</p> <p>He labelled the current issue as “one of the most disappointing things” he’d seem from Aussies in response to the coronavirus pandemic.</p> <p>Karl went on to say: “When the Prime Minister gets tough, they’re the sort of people who really need it, who really need to be able to just give what they can to their kids.</p> <p>“It’s the most basic stuff. I really felt for her.</p> <p>“When he (Mr Morrison) gets tough, I say to everyone, ‘Please bear in mind these mums who are doing their best for their kids,’ and keep all of that in mind as we move forward because it’s really important to look after people who need it most.</p> <p>“Sorry about that. I just had a little rant. I'm ranting a lot. Sorry.”</p> <p>Mr Morrison noted on Wednesday morning that the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee advises against bulk buying of foods, medicines and other essential goods.</p> <p>“I am seeking Australia’s common sense co-operation with these very clear advisory positions. Stop doing it. It’s ridiculous. It’s un-Australian and it must stop,” the PM said.</p> <p>On Monday, Australia’s four major supermarket chains, Woolworths, Coles, IGA and Aldi, joined together for a joint advertisement titled: “Working together to provide for all Australians”.</p> <p>“Our suppliers and teams are doing everything possible to get as many products onto all our shelves as they can, often under very difficult circumstances,” the ad reads.</p> <p>“So we ask you to please be considerate in the way you shop.”</p> <p> </p>

Money & Banking

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Sydney man donates toilet paper hoarded for 40 years

<p>A Sydney man has committed to donating packs of toilet paper rolls which had been hoarded by his father since over 40 years ago.</p> <p>Speaking to <em><a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/coronavirus-sydney-man-donating-shed-of-toilet-paper-hoarded-for-40-years/c6d02183-2d83-4b61-9e9a-d0fe60cdf291">A Current Affair</a></em>, Michael revealed his shed is packed with the goods, which have been highly coveted since cases of COVID-19 were first reported in Australia.</p> <p>The stash was started by his father Sobi, who died 10 years ago. “Dad looking down right now saying, ‘See, I told you so, you are going to need those one day’, and he’s absolutely right!” Michael said.</p> <p>“When he migrated here to Australia, him and mum, they came with nothing absolutely nothing. So whenever there was something on special, they would buy a lot of stock.</p> <p>“So that’s basically what’s happened here and thankfully he has.”</p> <p>Michael and his mother Mary are now giving away the rolls. “I thought to myself, ‘Well I’m not going to sell these, I’m not going to profit cause that’s not what dad would have wanted’,” he said.</p> <p>“He would have wanted me to give these out to people in need.”</p> <p>At first, Michael offered the rolls on Facebook. His post went viral and he received hundreds of messages asking for the item.</p> <p>Michael said he is now limiting the giveaway to two rolls per person.</p> <p>“Anyone who wants a roll or two, that’s desperate that needs it, then I’m happy to give those out Sunday morning 9am Marrickville Woolworths,” he said.</p> <p>“In this time of crisis, I believe we all have to band together and share what we have.”</p>

Home & Garden

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ALDI finally announces its shopping restrictions

<p>ALDI is hitting back at panic buyer by restricting purchases on a number of items, including sought after products such as toilet paper, pasta and rice.</p> <p>From March 17, ALDI Australia’s CEO Tom Daunt says the restriction will begin in order to discourage hoarders from wiping out shelves.</p> <p>Mr Daunt has also called for shoppers to remain calm as demand for products skyrocket.</p> <p>"All Australians deserve access to groceries and we are working extremely hard to deliver on this promise," Daunt said in a press release.</p> <p>"We know many of you are worried about the spread of coronavirus and your ability to access fresh food, hygiene products and essential items. We want to let you know that there is more than enough food to go around; we just need your patience and support."</p> <p><strong>Here is what ALDI will be restricting.</strong></p> <ul> <li>Toilet paper – 1 unit</li> <li>Dry Pasta – 2 units</li> <li>Flour – 2 units</li> <li>Dry Rice (excludes microwave rice) – 2 units</li> <li>Paper Towels – 2 units</li> <li>Tissues – 2 units</li> <li>Hand Sanitiser – 2 units</li> </ul> <p>Coles has also told shoppers their will be a one packet restriction for toilet paper and a two packet restriction for these items:</p> <ul> <li>Pasta</li> <li>Flour</li> <li>Dry rice</li> <li>Paper towels</li> <li>Paper tissues</li> <li>Hand sanitisers</li> <li>Mince meat - includes Beef, Pork, Lamb, Chicken &amp; Turkey</li> </ul>

Food & Wine

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Shopper shoves disabled woman to get last toilet paper roll

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>A Perth woman in a wheelchair said that she was pushed by another shopper as she tried to reach for the last pack of toilet paper on a supermarket shelf.</p> <p>Jacqui Giles was about to pick up the final pack of toilet paper when she was shoved out of the way by another customer.</p> <p>"I reached down to go grab it, and she just pushed me and grabbed the toilet paper and went off," Ms Giles told<span> </span><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.9news.com.au/" target="_blank">9News</a>.</p> <p>Giles said that her partner followed the woman to her car and saw evidence of toilet paper hoarding.</p> <p>"She had four 36-packs in her car," she said.</p> <p>Giles said the behaviour was "really selfish".</p> <p>"If someone did that to my grandparents I wouldn't be happy, or to anyone who needs it.</p> <p>"Some people could be quite sick and (have) bowel disease, and they really do need it."</p> <p>Luckily, she was able to buy a pack earlier in the day.</p> <p>Industry Minister Karen Andrews condemned panic buying behaviour.</p> <p>"Firstly - there is no need for people to continue to buy extensive amounts of toilet paper," she said.</p> <p>"We have adequate supplies of that in Australia, and quite frankly, people's usage is not likely to change.</p> <p>"So there is no need to panic buy that."</p> <p>Currently, there is no nationwide shortages of any major supermarket item, but people’s panic-buying makes it difficult to keep essentials on the shelves.</p> <p>"The issue that we are experiencing at the moment is getting the goods out of our distribution centres and on to the shelves.</p> <p>"The more panic buying that continues, the more difficult that is, which means that people will walk into stores and they will see shelves that are not fully stocked.</p> <p>"That is only a restocking issue. It is not a supply issue.</p> <p>"So if everyone goes back to their normal purchasing behaviour at a supermarket, there is no cause for alarm."</p> <p>A blind woman also reported having toilet paper stolen from her shopping trolley in Melbourne.</p> <p>"Because we cannot see, people are stealing from us," she told 9News.</p> <p>"Please consider other people who are disadvantaged because we can't get food because we don't have cars."</p> </div> </div> </div>

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Why one man's bulk buying hand sanitiser scheme failed

<p>A man in America, Noah Colvin, bought 17,700 bottles of hand sanitiser with the intention of reselling them on Amazon for a profit, but the tech giant has put a stop to that immediately.</p> <p>Amazon has cracked down on pandemic price gouging, which resulted in the company suspending Colvin’s account.</p> <p>He drove over 2,000 kilometres across Tennessee, stocking up on hand sanitiser and sanitary wipes but is now unable to get rid of the excess of goods.</p> <p>He’s not the first account to be suspended, with Amazon removing hundreds of thousands of listing of people trying to price gouge items others are looking for, including respiratory masks.</p> <p>Colvin said to<span> </span><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/technology/matt-colvin-hand-sanitizer-donation.html" target="_blank"><em>The New York Times</em></a><span> </span>that the whole experience has been a “huge amount of whiplash”, as he was able to sell 300 bottles at a markup before the company suspended his account.</p> <p>However, Colvin has since donated all of the supplies on Sunday just as the Tennessee attorney general’s office began investigating him for price gouging.</p> <p>He helped volunteers from a local church load two-thirds of the stockpile of hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes into a box truck that will distribute the goods across the state to those who need them.</p> <p>“I’ve been buying and selling things for 10 years now. There’s been hot product after hot product. But the thing is, there’s always another one on the shelf,” he said.</p> <p>“When we did this trip, I had no idea that these stores wouldn’t be able to get replenished.”</p> <p>After receiving hate mail and death threats after<span> </span><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/technology/coronavirus-purell-wipes-amazon-sellers.html" target="_blank"><em>The New York Times</em></a> published an article about him, Colvin has since expressed remorse for his actions.</p> <p>“It was never my intention to keep necessary medical supplies out of the hands of people who needed them,” he said, crying. “That’s not who I am as a person. And all I’ve been told for the last 48 hours is how much of that person I am.”</p> <p>Tennessee’s price gouging laws are strict and prohibit charging “grossly excessive” prices for a range of items, including medical supplies. People can be fined up to $1,000 per violation, and the attorney general’s office sent Colvin a cease-and-desist letter as well as opening up an investigation.</p> <p>“We will not tolerate price gouging in this time of exceptional need, and we will take aggressive action to stop it,” Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III of Tennessee said in a news release.</p>

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5 expert tips to declutter your home

<p><em><strong>Victoria Dryden is part of the team at <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://classicmoves.com.au/" target="_blank">Classic Moves</a></span>, a full relocation management service, assisting seniors in downsizing or relocating into retirement or aged care. They take the stress out of moving.</strong></em></p> <p>Decluttering is never a favourite task but one which is essential every now and then to maintain a healthy house and mind. The prospect of decluttering brings up many emotions and can be quite traumatic for some. Here are some of our helpful tips to assist with the process.</p> <p><strong>1. Commitment</strong></p> <p>Commitment to the task is sometimes the most difficult. Make some time and invest yourself to the job. Decluttering is often time-consuming and more often than not if you start and stop, it’s the starting again which may overwhelm you completely. A job half finished is more frustrating than the clutter itself. Try to set time aside for declutter sessions daily, weekly, monthly.</p> <p><strong>2. Try to be ruthless</strong></p> <p>Everything has a story. Try not to let the story overpower you. Start with the bathroom or laundry as often these rooms are the easiest to tackle first. Rid yourself of half-used oils, soaps and bathroom dishes, towels and other items collected over the years. Usually these items are of little emotional value and can help you warm up when considering the rest of the house. For jars, crockery long stem glasses, cooking utensils, think about it – how much of each do you need? Bread machines, rice cookers steamers are always a good idea at the time.</p> <p><strong>3. Don’t get emotional</strong></p> <p>Often it is the possessions gifted to us by family and friends which end up being clutter. Many feel the need to hold on to items because they believe it may bring us closer to love ones or moments. The love and memory of your family and friends will still remain long after the possessions have gone. If you struggle to let go, take a photo and carry that with you rather than the physical object. This way you can refer back at any time.</p> <p><strong>4. Have a plan (and keep it simple)</strong></p> <p>Tackle it strategically. Set up four stations or baskets – put away, give away, sell or storage (which should be your last resort). Ensure every object or item has a destination.</p> <p><strong>5. Stick to your decisions</strong></p> <p>Once your decision has been made for an item, try to maintain your position and refrain from changing your mind.</p> <p><em>Find more information at <a href="http://classicmoves.com.au/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Classic Moves</span></strong></a>.</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/09/cheap-and-trendy-recycling-tips/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">7 cheap and trendy recycling tips</span></strong></em></a></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/09/common-laundry-machine-mistakes/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">6 common laundry machine mistakes</span></strong></em></a></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/09/5-ways-to-bring-the-outdoors-in/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">5 ways to bring the outdoors in</span></em></strong></a></p>

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