Page 39 - Plastics News July 2019

FeAtures

according to Ole Grøndahl Hansen, any clinical waste, as it must be
Project Manager, PVCMed Alliance Medical-grade plastics often are sent for separate treatment at the
(Copenhagen). The pilot program stigmatized in recycling. The assumption hospital’s expense.”
began in 2009 with one healthcare among many recyclers that clinical A lesson learned from initiatives
provider in Australia and has since plastics are harder to process due to of this kind is that it helps to
grown to more than 140 hospitals contamination and the nature of the have a recycling “champion” in
across Australia and New Zealand. It materials, which often use both rigid the form of an “appointed staff
provides recycling bins and training and nonrigid plastics in one package, member who regularly checks
material for staff. Nurses separate has made it difficult for many hospitals bins visually for contaminants and
three PVC products—IV fluid bags, to find alternatives to landfills. addresses any issues with staff,”
oxygen tubing and oxygen masks, said Hansen. “In both the UK and
none of which have been contaminated with bodily fluids Australia, environmentally minded staff have been the
or drugs.
primary driving force in the successful implementation
PVC Recycling in Hospitals estimates that plastics account of recycling systems,” said Hansen. “As one hospital
for about one-third of a hospital’s general waste, most of staff member states in a video posted by RecoMed, ‘staff
which is typically sent to a landfill. PVC-based medical already recycle at home, so it is a natural progression to
products are estimated to represent about one-quarter do so at the workplace.’ Taking into account that tons
of all plastic waste. The experience in Australia, New of plastic waste are generated every day at hospitals, it
Zealand and the UK, which has a similar program called is increasingly obvious for healthcare professionals that
RecoMed, shows that hospital staff are highly motivated something must be done to make better use of these
to recycle, according to Hansen. “Existing hospital PVC resources,” said Hansen.
recycling programs show an exceptionally high level of The entire supply chain has a role to play in the recycling
correct separation of waste into the bins. In Australia effort, added Hansen. That begins with the medical
and New Zealand, Baxter delivers training in hospitals device manufacturer, who should keep end-of-life issues
to improve PVC medical waste separation and the Vinyl in mind when designing devices, and extends to hospital
Council of Australia reiterates that point in a regular
purchasers and healthcare professionals, who are doing
the actual sorting, and to the recycler and converter, who
are going to buy the recyclate and make new products,
said Hansen.

In Australia and New Zealand, Baxter underwrites the
cost of collecting the recycled materials and its sales
teams provide training and promote the program. Baxter
essentially “takes back the products from the hospitals
and sells them to the reprocessor under a commercial
arrangement, explained Hansen. Medical-grade PVC is a
high-quality compound that can be recycled into many
new soft PVC applications, although the presence of
DEHP plasticizer adds a wrinkle, as that may compromise
newsletter for hospital staff,” explained Hansen. Correct recycling. That will be less of an issue as the use of DEHP
separation of medical waste is paramount to the success of is phased out. The European Pharmacopeia lists four new
any recycling initiative, and it requires constant vigilance, alternatives to DEHP, and the EU Medical Device Regulation
added Hansen, which extends to waste reprocessing will require companies to justify the continued use of DEHP
and recycling companies. As waste is unloaded onto the in medical-grade PVC. “In Australia and New Zealand,
conveyor, visual inspections are conducted to identify there is also movement in the same direction, with Baxter
any clinical or potentially contaminated waste. Non- Healthcare having pledged to phase out DEHP by 2023,”
compliant waste is returned to the hospital, “particularly added Hansen.

39 July 2019 Plastics News