NHS Waste: How to Build a Circular Economy

In this webinar, we invited industry professionals and businesses from across the UK and Ireland with new products and services that could help combat waste and introduce circular thinking into the NHS's green plans. 

The NHS produces thousands of tonnes of waste every year, with 133,000 tonnes of this being plastic waste. The Greener NHS programme had NHS waste high on its agenda, paving the way to a more sustainable future for our healthcare service. 

But the question remains: how can hospitals look to reduce their waste and begin implementing a more circular waste strategy? 

Our Speakers Included: 

• Janet Smith, Head of Sustainability at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust & Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust 

• Guy Wing, Contract Manager at Sharpsmart UK 

• Clare Atkinson, Founder and Director of Research and Development at NuGreen Ltd 

• Conor Connolly, VP of Business Development at Envetec Sustainable Technologies 

After an introduction from our host, Georgia Halston, the panel was kicked off by Janet Smith, the Head of Sustainability at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust & Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust.

Janet set the scene for what Trusts are doing to reach the net zero target with real examples of how Trusts are looking at the green plan from the NHS and implementing it. She provided great insight into the challenges the NHS faces as waste is much more nuanced within healthcare. She then went on to highlight what her NHS Trust is doing to create more circularity. 

Janet stated that one of the biggest challenges within her trust has been getting mixed recycling implemented. She was proud to add that this was something that her trust was able to achieve. 

“I’m proud to say that the trust has managed to achieve zero-landfill on our domestic waste and 51% recycling across all our sites.” - Janet Smith 

Next, we welcomed Guy Wing, Contract Manager at Sharpsmart UK. Guy began by addressing that we should be talking about materials over waste when talking about creating a circular economy.  

Guy took us through the waste hierarchy within a healthcare setting. Starting from the bottom with the highest carbon footprint which is regarding landfill and high-temperature disposal – which is being phased out. He then discussed what is needed to bring reusability and recyclability into the NHS. Recycling has the potential for growth within the NHS.  

“Changing the way people talk about waste will drive circular behaviour and we’ll understand the reason things are disposed of is because we don’t appreciate the material qualities of the items we’ve got” – Guy Wing

 Guy also gave an introduction to Sharpsmart. Sharpsmart is a provider of safer, reusable sharps containers, catering to 40% of acute NHS hospitals. Notably, their containers can be reused, ensuring enhanced safety for end users. Sharpsmart extends its services to offer consultancy, aiding in the identification of materials suitable for recycling, thus reducing the need for incineration. Through these efforts, Sharpsmart actively contributes to promoting sustainable and responsible waste management practices within the healthcare industry. 

“In a typical 500-bed hospital, we remove about 20 tonnes of single-use plastic from being manufactured and incinerated each year.” – Guy Wing 

Following Guy, we heard from Clare Atkinson, Founder and Director of Research and Development at NuGreen. Clare introduced NuGreen and their goals: first, to divert waste incineration through research and second, to support healthcare sustainability by decarbonising the supply chain. During her presentation, she emphasised the NuGreen approach, which revolves around their comprehensive audit process. 

“You can’t manage what you don’t measure”. – Clare Atkinson 

The NuGreen audit approach involves visiting healthcare departments to collect general waste, offensive waste, and infectious waste. They analyse the data and create strategies to optimise waste management. NuGreen conducts interviews with staff and stakeholders to understand the net zero campaign better and gather valuable insights. The information is consolidated into a user-friendly dashboard to visualise the data. A detailed report highlights findings and provides recommendations for sustainable healthcare practices. NuGreen uses network analysis techniques to uncover improvement opportunities, enabling the introduction of infrastructure and streamlining processes within healthcare facilities for a sustainable environment. 

NuGreen's ultimate goal is to forge long-term partnerships with healthcare institutions, working collaboratively to generate practical and relevant data that drives sustainability efforts in the NHS. 

“In order to be a sustainable business model, we need to reduce costs, reduce emissions and increase the amount of recycled material”. – Clare Atkinson 

Finally, we heard from Conor Connolly, Vice President of Business Development at Envetec Sustainable Technologies. Throughout his presentation, Conor emphasised the need to adopt a nuanced approach to waste within the NHS. He also drilled into the point that collaboration is essential in driving change and helping to build a circular waste economy within the NHS. 

During the discussion, Conor touched upon the concept of "scope 3" and the waste hierarchy, which had also been mentioned by Guy earlier. Waste management encompasses "scope 3," which represents the challenging aspect of waste handling as it involves components beyond direct control. However, the aim is to actively ascend the waste hierarchy, striving to shift towards recycling and adopting more sustainable practices. This way, they hope to make a positive impact on waste management and contribute to a more environmentally friendly approach. 

Finally, Conor told us about what Envetec do and their waste management solutions. They specialise in clinical waste management, effectively integrating itself into the existing waste stream. Their approach creates a valuable avenue for recycling opportunities, showcasing their commitment to sustainable practices in the field of clinical waste management. 

Rounding Up 

After hearing from all our panellists, the event ended with a question-and-answer session. 

Want to learn more about how we can push the NHS towards a greener future with innovative products and services? Then sign up for our next webinar here.