News

Hollywood Private Hospital ramps up medical plastics recycling in operating rooms

Aug 16, 2022

Medical plastics are being recycled in the operating rooms at Hollywood Private Hospital as part of a new sustainability initiative.

Plastic bowls, kidney dishes, bottles, trays and plastic syringes are being recycled and turned into pelletised material for use in the manufacture of irrigation, gardening and landscaping products.

Clerical Clinical Nurse Manager Suzanne Thompson said the Green Theatres Group, a subcommittee of the Hollywood Environmental Committee, organised the medical plastics recycling.

“Staff are encouraged to recycle the plastic items into recycling bins for collection by waste management company Suez,” she said.

“Lina Galluzzi, from Suez, held an education session showing staff what medical plastics could go in the recycling bins.

“Suez then clean and sterilize the plastic items before delivering them to Claw Environmental in Welshpool, to be turned into the pelletised material.”

Other recycling projects by the Hollywood Environmental Committee include:

• Battery recycling – batteries from medical equipment, with more than 80 per cent charge, are sold to staff for household use. Batteries with less than 80 per cent charge are sent to an industrial recycling company for disposal.
• Reducing the use of anaesthetic gas desflurane – switching to sevoflurane, which is not as harmful to the environment.
• PVC recycling - masks, oxygen tubing and intravenous drip bags made out of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) turned into a variety of products such as gumboots, garden hoses and playmats.

Hollywood Private Hospital is part of Ramsay Health Care, which has set a target to remove 50 million single-use plastic items from its facilities by the end of the year.

The campaign to reduce single-use plastics is part of Ramsay’s commitment to Net Zero greenhouse emissions by 2040.

Theatre Deputy PSA manager Colin Thomson, Registered Nurse Loretta Wikstrom, Suez Major Account Manager Lina Galluzzi and Clerical Clinical Nurse Manager Suzanne Thompson.