Summary
Gladstone Hospital is taking great care of patients, while also taking care of the environment.
The hospital, operated by Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, has a number of recycling programs that decrease its environmental footprint by reducing waste going to landfill, including metal, printer cartridges, batteries and drink containers.
Operational Waste Supervisor Kevin Pines said a new initiative, the collection of single-use medical devices, was also achieving fantastic results.
Medsalv, an Australian and New Zealand company devoted to making healthcare more sustainable, recently announced Gladstone Hospital as Number 1 in Queensland for supporting its collection program.
Medsalv collects a range of single-use medical devices from Australian hospitals, such as patient transfer mattresses, deep vein thrombosis prevention sleeves, blood pressure cuffs and tourniquets, and remanufactures them so they can be safely re-used. It is saving tonnes of waste from ending up in landfill.
“I would like to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of the team at Gladstone Hospital in diverting single-use medical devices from landfill and instead placing them into the Medsalv collection bags for remanufacture,” Medsalv Sustainability Engagement Lead Jason Brown said.
“Gladstone is setting the benchmark in Queensland, demonstrating to other hospitals across the state what can be achieved when a strong culture of sustainability is embraced throughout the organisation.”
Kevin said the program was not only good for the planet, but also helped reduce waste costs.
“Some people might be surprised at just how much it costs to remove general waste from hospitals each week,” Kevin said.
“It takes a little bit of effort, but the more items we can recycle or divert from landfill the better it is. Every bit counts.”
Kevin is able to track how much waste the hospital is diverting to Medsalv. In just three months, the hospital collected almost 4000 devices or more than 140 kilograms.
“This is a real team effort and I’d like to thank staff from all wards who continue to support our hospital’s recycling programs.”