Held at the Danish Technological Institute on November 25, opportunities and the challenges for how to recycle hospital plastic waste were discussed by representatives from medical devices manufacturers, hospitals, nurses, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, the Danish Medicines Agency and PVCMed Alliance.
Ole Grøndahl Hansen, Project Manager of PVCMed Alliance, highlighted disposable plastics-based medical devices and the key role they play in modern healthcare since their emergence in the 1960s.
Nurse Mette Skriver Revsbech from Copenhagen University Hospital pointed out how much plastic waste is generated after just five surgical procedures. She explained this amount makes it visible to the nurses that action on plastic waste is required. That’s why it was easy to convince colleagues to participate in a project where the goal was to collect 2,000 used oxygen masks, which was reached in record time.
Tobias Johnsen of PVCMed Alliance, emphasised the importance of nurses' involvement who showed examples of recycling from around the world.
In Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Guatemala and the UK, it was ‘striking’ that it was nurses who had initiated plastic collection schemes.
Also, it’s essential to engaging busy nurses’ extra efforts and commitment that useful products are made from the recyclate. A compelling example of this was the school shoes displayed at the workshop. Only 20 IV bags are needed to make a pair of 100 per cent reusable shoes, which are handed out to some of the 5 million South African children living in deep poverty.
Annette Bitz from Ambu presented a new design manual where the main message is that, as far as possible, the medical equipment should be designed in one polymer.
This was backed up by plastics expert Peter Sommer-Larsen from the Danish Technological Institute who exemplified good and bad design in oxygen masks.
How to sort medical plastic waste was a key discussion point. Robot expert Jacob Kortbek from the Danish Technological Institute demonstrated how artificial intelligence and robotic technology could potentially make sorting more efficient in the future, as it is possible to sort the different types of plastics.
PVCMed Alliance argued, based on experiences from ongoing medical PVC collection schemes around the world, for a more low-cost solution where sorting could take place in the respective hospital departments. Every hospital could use its own granulator that simply crushes the plastic.
