A major milestone for Baxter Healthcare (Baxter) and the Vinyl Council Australia’s polyvinyl chloride (PVC) Recycling in Hospitals program has been reached.
One hundred hospitals across Australia and New Zealand have signed up to the recycling program and are diverting 10 metric tonnes of medical waste from landfill to recycling each month, as hospitals recycle Baxter intravenous fluids bags, as well as PVC oxygen masks and oxygen tubing.
Baxter General Manager for Australia and New Zealand, Steven Flynn said Baxter is proud to partner with hospitals on this recycling program.
“Reducing the amount of hospital waste that ends up in landfill reflects our shared commitment to a sustainable healthcare system.
“As a local manufacturer, we are continually responding to the changing needs of our customers with innovative products and services that improve the quality of life for patients and create social, economic and environmental value to our customers and the communities we live and work in,” said Mr Flynn.
Epworth Richmond in Melbourne takes part in the PVC recycling program and was the first hospital in Australia to incorporate Baxter’s aluminium recycling program earlier this year.
Epworth Richmond theatre nurse, Rebecca Pascoe heads the team driving the initiatives and trains staff on appropriate waste segregation.
“We use a lot of consumables in theatres and I see a lot of waste created which should be recycled. I have always been passionate about sustainability and conservation of the environment, so it seemed natural to step up and improve our performance.
“I could see there was a massive gap and huge potential for us to be recycling more at Epworth Richmond. We just needed the resources and staff education to get started. There is still a lot of work to be done and many more opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Ms Pascoe.
Epworth Richmond was recently a finalist in the Premier’s Sustainability Victoria Awards 2017 for their efforts in recycling.
