By Improving waste disposal at local hospitals
With Recycle Week in its seventeenth year, North Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust has made a new waste disposal commitment.
This year, organisers WRAP has thanked the nation for continuing to recycle despite the ongoing challenges that Covid-19 has presented.
In 2019 around 40% of the trust’s waste was being sent to landfill, primarily from Princess Diana of Wales Hospital in Grimsby.
But earlier this year, the trust achieved zero to landfill for all domestic waste after signing a new contract with Veolia Environmental Services.
Under the agreement, all recyclables produced by the Trust must be processed within the UK.
This ensures that the trust is not associated with modern slavery or illegal dumping in foreign countries.
Sally Yates, Logistics and Waste Manager, said:
“Recycle Week is a great way to highlight the work the Trust is doing to improve recycling across the organisation.
“We have a number of initiatives across the Trust and we encourage our staff to recycle and use the correct bins.”
Now, in a further commitment to responsible waste disposal, the waste team at North Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust are also reusing furniture wherever possible, both within the Trust and through external agencies.
Recently, they worked with the Lincolnshire Refugee Doctors Project supplying them with cookers, foldaway beds, sofas and dining chairs which help furnish accommodation for doctors and their families.
On another recent occasion, the trust supplied redundant beds to a Beverley-based charity who equip hospitals in Africa.
Two digesters have also been installed at Grimsby and Scunthorpe hospitals to help with food waste disposal.
These use natural processes to break the food down into a liquid form, which can be safely discharged as wastewater into the drains.
Traditionally food waste was bagged in the kitchens and then taken to the service yard where it was placed in food wheelie bins for collection.
Further explaining their commitment to recycling and sustainability, a statement issued by the trust reads:
“NLaG is also raising awareness about the Every Can Counts campaign which aims to increase the single waste stream recycling of aluminium cans.
“Every Can Counts is a partnership between drink can manufacturers, the recycling industry and drink brands. It began life in the UK in 2009 and now has programmes in 16 countries across Europe.
“Recycling is a more cost effective way for the NHS to deal with waste. Drinks cans are always 100 per cent recyclable, and once recycled could be back on sale as another can in just 60 days.”
