Waste Convincer

Waste Reduction

• The NHS produces 600.000 tonnes of waste every year including 200,000 tonnes of domestic waste.
• In 2005-06, over 13 million patient meals were wasted – equating to about nine meals wasted per patient. As the cost of waste disposal rises, there is a financial imperative to reduce waste to landfill.
• one in every 100 tonnes of domestic waste generated in the UK comes from the NHS, with the vast majority going to landfill.
• Methane released by decomposing biodegradable waste in land fills accounts for around 3% of the European Union’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Recycling

• The NHS produces 600.000 tonnes of waste every year including 200,000 tonnes of domestic waste.
• If a recycling target of 40 to 60% were to be achieved by the NHS, the emissions savings delivery are estimated to be between 16,500 and 23,000 tonnes of Co2 per year.
• if domestic and clinical waste were correctly segregated and just 40 per cent recycled, additional emissions savings would be similar to those produced by driving an average-sized car around the equator more than 550 times.
• nef calculates that recycling all the paper, cardboard, magazines and newspapers produced by the NHS in England and Wales could save up to 42,000 tonnes of CO2. This is equivalent to the savings made by replacing over half a million 100W incandescent light bulbs with 20W energy-saving bulbs, or taking around 17,000 cars off the road.

Clinical Waste

• If domestic and clinical waste were correctly segregated and just 40 per cent recycled, additional emissions savings would be similar to those produced by driving an average-sized car around the equator more than 550 times.