Plastic medical waste has a new lease on life thanks to Southern Highland Private Hospital and Baxter Healthcare.
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Australian made intravenous fluid bags, oxygen masks and tubing have been turned into gumboots and garden hoses thanks to the Baxter Healthcare recycling program.
Through the Baxter Healthcare recycling program, Southern Highland Private Hospital managed to divert 200 kg of PVC waste in 2019 and a further 300 kg of PVC waste in 2020 from landfill.
The increase of 25 per cent was one of the highest in NSW.
Chief executive officer Prue Buist said surpassing the 300kg recycling milestone was a wonderful achievement.
"The success of this recycling program depends on the commitment of our theatre nurses and staff so I want to extend a huge congratulations to the team for reaching this target and being among the best PVC recyclers in the state," she said.
"I'm looking forward to expanding this program to more wards across the hospital and very soon we'll be recycling aluminium with Baxter Healthcare too."
Ms Buist said the Southern Highland Private Hospital had been involved in the recycling program for two and half years.
"In hospitals, there's a huge amount of waste and it's waste that we can't use," she said.
"PVC is something we can recycle, so it's something we can do to support our community.
"We are very mindful of waste, there is a significant amount of waste that we put out for a single patient that goes to landfill so we are very keen to recycle."
Under the PVC recycling partnership, the hospital's intravenous bags, oxygen masks and tubing manufactured by Baxter Healthcare are placed into dedicated recycling bins which are collected by Baxter Healthcare.
All PVC waste is sorted and recycled in Australia by Welvic waste management and used to make gumboots by Bata shoes in Victoria and other local manufacturers to make the garden hose.
The 300 kg of PVC recycled by Southern Highlands Private Hospital makes approximately 2.5km of garden hose every year.
The combined half a tonne of PVC waste collected in 2019 and 2020 equated to 5.5 km of garden hose.
General Manager for Baxter Australia and New Zealand Steven Flynn visited Southern Highlands Private to present the team with an award for their leadership in sustainability.
"As a local New South Wales manufacturer of more than 45 years, Baxter is committed to sustainable manufacturing operations and product stewardship programs," he said.
"We are proud to partner with Ramsay Health Care hospitals across Australia to divert PVC medical waste from landfill to be recycled locally into new Australian-made products.
"Congratulations to the staff and management at Southern Highlands Private Hospital for leading the way in helping to create a more sustainable healthcare system in Australia."
Mr Flynn said that part of the company's commitment to sustainable manufacturing of products was to partner with hospitals to collect PVC waste and to turn it into other Australian products.
"It is clear, high-grade PVC and it should not be going into landfill," he said.
"The empty IV bags are collected in bins which are distributed to our recycling partner WelVic in Victoria and they grind that into a granule which is then sold off to manufacturers."
Operating theatres nurse unit manager Annie Dean said the whole team had embraced the PVC recycling program.
"We have little recycling bins that are specific for each theatre and we had education sessions to teach staff what to do. I think everyone is really determined to get involved and play a part in recycling," she said.
Ramsay Health Care which owns Southern Highlands Private Hospital is committed to making a meaningful, positive difference in the world, as part of its sustainability strategy known as Ramsay Cares.
Last year more than 30 Ramsay Hospitals participated in Baxter Healthcare's PVC recycling program, which 'diverted 14,490 kilograms of hospital waste from landfill.
Baxter Healthcare manufactures high-grade PVC medical products in western Sydney that is recycled at a Victorian recycling centre.
Australian made Bata gumboots and recycled PVC hoses can be bought in Bunnings.
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Vera Demertzis
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
