Healthcare plastic: let's recycle!

Ole Grøndahl Hansen, project manager, PVCMed Alliance, explores  whether the healthcare community should look to reuse or recycle plastic medical waste.

Healthcare’s impact on climate and environment has long been under the radar, as the sector naturally has cure and patient safety as its number one priority. Yet, the growing amounts of medical waste in the wake of COVID-19 and the increasing focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from every sector in society means healthcare must also do its part in the green transition of society.

In a recent op-ed in Brussels Times, Dan Vukelich from the Association of Medical Device Reprocessors calls for reuse of single-use medical devices as the solution to challenges of climate change and plastic waste.

Mr Vukelich’s proposal resonates with non-government organisations (NGOs), who regard reuse of plastic as the preferred option if reduction is not possible. The increasing volume of plastic waste coming from hospitals has even led some to call for phasing out the use of plastics in medical facilities. Influential NGO Healthcare Without Harm advocates for a path "Towards Plastic-Free Healthcare," as was the headline of a recent webinar.

It makes intuitive sense to limit large quantities of waste at the source, but reducing the use of plastics in medical devices and protective equipment simply is not viable.

Plastics enable the production of safe and affordable disposable devices, which has led to a significant reduction in cross-contamination. In the past, the equipment was reused, which led to transmission of infections. It goes without saying that patient and practitioner safety improved exponentially when fragile glass containers for blood, urine, and IV solutions were replaced by robust plastic containers.

The endless design possibilities of plastics also give doctors and nurses access to an almost unlimited range of medical equipment, which, it should be noted, is superior for the diagnosis, treatment, and comfort of the patient.

Although reuse might be a solution for the costly and advanced diagnostic equipment, it is doubtful that it will make economic, logistical or environmental sense to reprocess the billions of mass-produced, disposable medical devices such as oxygen masks, tubing and containers that are used in hospitals every day all around the globe.

Instead, the healthcare community should look to recycling, which is easier to implement. Inspiration can be found in the many recycling schemes for PVC-based medical devices that started in Australia a decade ago and has now spread to several countries. Lately, the collaborative partnership VinylPlus Med was launched to accelerate sustainability in European healthcare, starting with a pilot project in Belgium.

Experiences from the hospitals that participate in the recycling schemes are positive. By diverting waste from costly waste treatment to recycling, hospitals save money. Recycling of plastic is preferable to landfilling or incineration. For every kg of plastic recycled, around 2 kg of CO2 are saved. And for hospital staff it has been shown that contributing to recycle some of the plastic waste generated for every procedure is highly motivating.