Medical waste prevention scheme wins recycling award

RecoMed, the PVC medical devices take-back scheme, is a joint winner of the Waste Prevention category of the 2017 National Recycling Awards for its innovative approach to sustainable healthcare recycling.

A UK scheme designed to prevent medical waste in the NHS and private hospitals has been recognised at the 2017 National Recycling Awards.

RecoMed is a joint winner of the Waste Prevention category of the awards for its innovative approach to sustainable healthcare recycling. The scheme was set up in 2014 to provide an alternative, sustainable disposal route for waste medical items made from medical grade PVC. Participating hospitals receive recycling containers, communication materials and collections by RecoMed to send off the medical waste. Collected materials are then recycled back into new goods, such as horticultural products, by specialist recyclers.

The scheme is run by project partners Axion Consulting and the British Plastics Federation (BPF).

Collecting the award, Axion’s principal consultant Jane Gardner said: “We’re thrilled and very proud to win this high profile award, which recognises the tremendous achievements of all participants and hospitals in recycling plastics from the medical waste stream.

“Now operating in ten hospitals, RecoMed continues to grow and is attracting more and more interest. The scope for development is huge as the scheme could ultimately be replicated across Europe. We are particularly impressed with the enthusiasm and commitment of clinicians without whom this scheme would not be possible.” Gardner added.

Francisco Morcillo, head of Public and Industrial Affairs at the BPF said: “RecoMed shows once again how PVC has come a long way when it comes to sustainability, becoming a guiding light for other materials. Not only PVC is a very cost-effective material with a great performance, it is also helping hospitals reducing their waste management costs whilst contributing to the principles of a circular economy.”

It’s estimated that up to 2,250 tonnes of PVC could be recycled by collecting items such as anaesthetic facemasks, oxygen masks and associated tubing from UK hospitals.

The judges from the awards praised the scheme saying: “This showed great initiative in changing behaviour in a sector that is notoriously difficult to establish effective waste segregation at source.”