F E A T U R E

Recycling medical devices

Healthcare facilities are major consumers of syringes , which have been particularly difficult to recycle due to the various components and steps involved in the process , including the safe handling of medical waste and treating and sterilizing materials before they can be reintroduced for recycling . This recycling pilot helps address a historic challenge within the healthcare industry – which generates more than 379,000 pounds of medical waste being recycled and diverted from disposal .

The circular economy pilot , which took place in the first half of 2023 , was the first large-scale effort to assess the feasibility of recycling medical waste found in red sharps containers . These containers included a broad range of medical equipment and materials , primarily syringes and needles . The medical waste was collected across a variety of health care facilities and all of the plastics were diverted from disposal and recycled . The pilot also assessed the technical feasibility of two types of technology – mechanical and advanced recycling – both showing favourable results in their ability to successfully recycle used medical devices for use in other products .

“ Needles and syringes help enable a wide range of critical medical treatments and care , but they require plastic for production – which generates waste and is one of the most relevant environmental issues facing the health care industry today ,” said Chee Lum , Vice President and General Manager of Injection Systems for BD .

“ At BD , we are committed to reducing the environmental impact of our portfolio , and the results of this study show that by working together with industry partners , we can drive sustainable solutions that have a positive impact on the health of our planet and communities .”

The next stage of the pilot programme will expand regionally to additional hospitals and non-acute care facilities . The teams will also increase focus to cover other types of medical materials for recycling , as well as reclaiming the used devices and returning them to the manufacturing process .

Clean energy

According to ESource ’ s Friendly Power in 2021 , “ An average US hospital uses 31 kilowatt-hours of electricity and 103,600 British thermal units of natural gas per square foot annually .”

One of the hospitals driving change in clean energy is Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust .

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