A new approach to waste management in the NHS
In addition to being the UK's largest employer, the NHS is also one of the country's largest CO2 producers with emissions of approximately 1 million tonnes of carbon per year. The UK government has set the NHS a mandatory target of achieving a 15% reduction in carbon emissions by 2010.
Incinerating a tonne of clinical waste generates up to 3 tonnes of CO2. The process also pumps many other toxic chemicals into the atmosphere and costs over £500 per tonne. So reducing clinical waste incineration can make an important contribution to reducing NHS emissions. It also has the potential to save the NHS a lot of money as alternative disposal methods, principally autoclaving followed by deep burial, cost up to 40% less than incineration. With this in mind the Department of Health introduced a new set of Waste Management Guidelines at the start of 2007, the first major change for over 10 years, which require the NHS to shift to 'Alternative Treatments' for the disposal of clinical waste.
This poses considerable challenges for estates, cleaning and facilities managers in NHS hospitals and trusts. Waste must now be sorted into three channels: The traditional Yellow (Clinical) and Black (Domestic) channels are joined by a new Orange 'Alternative Treatment' channel. This process is not a simple as it first might appear as different hospitals and trusts already have widely different sortation policies as a result of differing disposal arrangements. And with the pace of introduction of the new policies also differing from trust to trust, as well as not being familiar with the new guidelines, the many staff who work at different hospitals now find that waste goes into different channels at different locations.
GreenValet was aware of the new waste disposal requirements at an early stage and was the first major bag supplier in the UK to supply correctly marked Orange channel waste bags to the market. Both the Orange Alternative and Yellow Clinical range come in three different sizes and weights, flat-packed or rolled and are supplied with new Star Seal Technology to minimise the possibility of overfilling and spillage.
Working with facilities managers at major hospitals, it soon became clear that more needed to be done to help waste managers implement the new guidelines successfully. Accurate waste sortation is essential. Unfortunately this involves a great number of staff in many different departments, most of whom do not view waste sortation as their priority.
After consultation with leading facilities managers and infection control experts, a series of waste sortation labels and posters was developed to address staff directly and make them aware of the importance of good waste management in the achievement of the NHS's overall carbon reduction goal. The labels are laminated, self adhesive and are designed to be attached to waste bin lids to inform staff at the point of disposal what goes in each waste channel. Posters are A3 size, laminated, and displayed in staff areas and to help with training.
The GreenValet waste management labelling system is flexible and adaptable to meet the needs of individual trusts. Using both graphics and text it guides staff as well as visitors. A number of trusts have already started trials and the first full installation is expected to take place before the end of 2007.
For more information about GreenValet's waste management labelling systems, clinical, domestic and general waste bags:
T: 01920 463098
25th October 2007