Waste and the circular economy

The healthcare sector consumes sizeable amounts of single use plastics, for example Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and single use medical devices, and due to the nature of healthcare, has to deal with hazardous and clinical waste. It should be noted that waste is usually a product of procurement or operations decisions, for example the choice of purchasing single use plastic cutlery for cafeterias will inevitably lead to plastic waste. Therefore, it is important to trace waste arisings back to source.

The Integrated Care System (ICS) Sustainability Group already has a waste subgroup to lead on this area, and has set an overall target for 2030. This target needs to be shared through member organisations.

Target:
Achieve zero waste to landfill across the ICS by 2030.

Non-clinical waste

The priority will be to develop circular economy solutions where raw materials originate from recycled sources, and are fed-back into the loop after they have been used (emulating natural cycles such as the carbon cycle).

While waste and water together represent 5% of the NHS’s carbon footprint, the carbon benefits of shifting to a circular economy will be most felt in the supply chain by replacing virgin materials with recycled materials.

Supply chains for circular economy opportunities can be weak, but may be strengthened by joint procurement exercises and the use of forward commitment procurement.

Where circular economy solutions are not available, the waste hierarchy will be followed, i.e. promoting minimisation, reuse, and recycling of waste. Where these options are not available, energy recovery will be prioritised over landfill.

Target:
All food waste segregated and sent for anaerobic digestion by 2030.