Dive summary:
- A few hospitals in Australia have begun a program which has turned 33,000 pounds of medical PVC waste into industrial hoses and non-slip floor mats.
- The program is active in six hospitals and medical centers in two Australia states; the hospitals are working with Australia’s national PVC industry body, the Vinyl Council of Australia, to recycle materials such as tubing, fluid bags and oxygen masks.
- It is estimated that about 33% of hospitals' waste is plastic, and about 25% of that is PVC.
From the article:
VCA CEO Sophi MacMillan said the trials showed educating hospitals is vital if recycling is to be successful. VCA collaborated with hospital staff, recyclers, the NSW and Victorian governments and Sydney-based medical product manufacturer Baxter Healthcare Pty. Ltd. to create educational tool kits.
The kits — which include a short video, training slides and step-by-step guides — were released in March. "We didn't want to expand the program before educational packs were developed," MacMillan said.
The program now operates in six hospitals and medical centers, including a dialysis center. Another two hospitals are in the early stages of implementing the program and four more registered interest online after the tool kits were released. ...
