This paper empirically examines whether proscription of a habitual consumption item can act as a mechanism to develop anti-consumption behaviour and attitudes. The paper tracks a legislated retail ban on single-use polyethylene plastic bags, analysing 1167 interviews with shoppers before the ban's announcement, during a 4-month phasing-out period (and demarketing campaign), and when the ban was in full effect. Two hundred and fifty three interviews are repeated with the same individuals to allow identification of individual-level attitudinal and behavioural change. Anti-consumption is typically conceptualised as a phenomenon based on choice. This research investigates how shoppers react when forced into anti-consumption behaviour, and how supportive voluntary anti-consumers are of others being made to change. Grouping shoppers according to their level of voluntary anti-consumption of plastic bags before the ban, the analysis finds that shoppers who voluntarily showed anti-consumption behaviour were the only group showing any voluntary shift in anti-consumption behaviours during the phasing-out period. These shoppers are supportive of forcing others to show anti-consumption, while the level of behavioural and attitudinal resistance from shoppers that showed little or no voluntary anti-consumption is low. These findings support the use of proscription to achieve anti-consumption behaviours, however, proscription does not necessarily engender full anti-consumption attitudes. This study adds to knowledge on anti-consumption and shopper resistance to proscriptive interventions designed to reduce socially undesirable behaviours. It provides further evidence that demarketing campaigns, without accompanying negative reinforcers, may be insufficient to achieve widespread behavioural change alone.

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Objectives. To determine the number of people who inject drugs (PWID) in Canada and the annual coverage of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) and needle-and-syringe provision for PWID. Methods. We estimated the number of PWID in 11 of 13 Canadian provinces and territories in 2011 by using indirect multiplier methods based on provincial and territorial methadone recipient totals and proportion of surveyed PWID receiving methadone. We modeled annual increases for 2011 to 2016 on Quebec and British Columbia longitudinal data. We calculated needle-and-syringe coverage (World Health Organization [WHO] recommendation: ≥ 200 per PWID) and OAT coverage (WHO recommendation: ≥ 40 per 100 PWID) per province and territory annually. Results. An estimated 130 000 individuals in Canada (0.55%) injected drugs in 2011, increasing to 171 900 individuals (0.70%) in 2016. Needle-and-syringe coverage increased from 193 to 291 per PWID, and OAT coverage increased from 55 to 66 per 100 PWID over the study period. Conclusions. While the number of PWID increased between 2011 and 2016, OAT coverage remained high, and needle-and-syringe coverage generally improved over time. Public Health Implications. These data will inform public health surveillance, service planning, and resource allocation, and assist monitoring of treatment and harm-reduction coverage outcomes.

Food waste is a global problem. In Australia alone, it is estimated that households throw away AU$5.2 billion worth of food (AU$616 per household) each year. Developed countries have formal waste management systems that provide measures of food waste. However, much remains unknown about informal food waste disposal routes and volumes outside of the formal system. This article provides indicative metrics of informal food waste by identifying, in detail, five of the dominant informal food waste disposal routes used by Australian households: home composting, feeding scraps to pets, sewer disposal, giving to charity, and dumping or incineration. Informal waste generation rates are then calculated from three primary data sources, in addition to data from previous Australian and UK surveys, using a weighted average method in conjunction with a Monte-Carlo simulation. We find that the average Australian household disposes of 2.6 kgs of food waste per week through informal routes (1.7 kgs via household composting, 0.2 kgs via animals, and 0.6 kgs via sewage). This represents 20% of Australian household food waste flows. Our results highlight that informal food waste is a sizable food waste flow from Australian homes, deserving of greater research and government attention. Our examination of the full extent of food waste by disposal mode provides waste managers and policy makers with clear disposal routes to target for behaviour change and positive environmental outcomes.

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BACKGROUND: Opioid agonist treatment is considered important in preventing acquisition of hepatitis C virus (HCV) among people who inject drugs; however, the role of dosage in opioid agonist treatment is unclear. We investigated the joint association of prescribed dosage of opioid agonist treatment and patient-perceived dosage adequacy with risk of HCV infection among people who inject drugs. METHODS: We followed prospectively people who inject drugs at risk of acquiring HCV infection (who were RNA negative and HCV-antibody negative or positive) in Montréal, Canada (2004-2017). At 6-month, then 3-month intervals, participants were tested for HCV antibodies or RNA, and completed an intervieweradministered behavioural questionnaire, reporting the following: current exposure to opioid agonist treatment (yes/no), pre-Deschênes, Marie-Eve Turcotte, Maryse Beaulieu and the other staff working at the HEPCO research site. We also thank the study participants; without them, this research would not be possible.

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Background People who use drugs (PWUD) are at high risk of experiencing indirect harms of measures implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19, given high reliance on services and social networks. This study aimed to document short-term changes in behaviours and health-related indicators among PWUD in Montreal, Canada following declaration of a provincial health emergency in Quebec. Methods We administered a structured rapid assessment questionnaire to members of an existing cohort of PWUD and individuals reporting past-year illicit drug use recruited via community services. Telephone and in-person interviews were conducted in May–June and September–December 2020. Participants were asked to report on events and changes since the start of the health emergency (March 13, 2020). Descriptive analyses were performed. Results A total of 227 participants were included (77% male, median age = 46, 81% Caucasian). 83% and 41% reported past six-month illicit drug use and injection drug use, respectively. 70% of unstably housed participants reported increased difficulty finding shelter since the start of the health emergency. 48% of opioid agonist treatment recipients had discussed strategies to avoid treatment disruptions with providers; 22% had missed at least one dose. Many participants perceived increased difficulty accessing non-addiction health care services. Adverse changes were also noted in indicators pertaining to income, drug markets, drug use frequency, and exposure to violence; however, many participants reported no changes in these areas. Among persons reporting past six-month injection drug use, 79% tried to access needle-syringe programmes during the health emergency; 93% of those obtained services. 45% tried to access supervised injection sites, of whom 71% gained entry. Conclusions This snapshot suggests mixed impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on PWUD in Montreal in the months following declaration of a provincial health emergency. There were signals of increased exposure to high-risk environments as well as deteriorations in access to health services. Pandemic-related measures may have lasting impacts among vulnerable subgroups; continued monitoring is warranted.