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Healthcare
Plastics Waste Recycling:
Improves Environment & Job Creation
Hospitals generate various kinds of wastes
from wards, operation theatres and outpatient areas. Plastics
are a significant share of hospital general waste. 85 percent
of the plastic waste generated is non-hazardous, meaning free
from patient contact and contamination.
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There is
very good potential in recycling healthcare / medical
plastics particularly commonly used materials like PVC. |
V R Patel
CEO, Vir Enviro Management & Former, Deputy Chief
Engineer, Gujarat Pollution Control
Board |
D L Pandya
Editor & CEO,
MEDICAL PLASTICS DATA SERVICE and
www.medisourceasia.com |
Recycling PVC diverts waste and useful
resources from landfill and reduces the consumption of energy
feedstock in the production of new products. It can also lead
to positive environmental outcomes like
Reduced Energy and Reduced Carbon Footprint along with
Reducing Waste Management Costs as well as Supporting Jobs and
Manufacturing.
 Medical
care is vital for our life, health and well-being. But the
waste generated from medical activities can be hazardous,
toxic and even lethal because of their high potential for
diseases transmission.
The management of Health-care waste is an
integral part of a national health-care system.
Hospitals generate various kinds of wastes
from wards, operation theatres and outpatient areas. These
wastes include bandages, cotton, soiled linen, body parts,
sharps (needle, syringes etc),
medicines (discarded or expired), laboratory wastes etc which
carry infection and should be properly collected, segregated,
stored, transported, treated and disposed.
Environmental Concerns
The main environmental concerns with
respect to improper disposal of bio-medical waste management
are spread of infection and disease among medical /
non-medical personnel, unauthorized recycling and increased
toxic emissions.
Plastics: Significant Share of Hospital
General Waste
Plastics are a significant share of
hospital general waste. There is an almost endless supply of
disposable plastic materials in a typical health care
facility. 85 percent of the plastic waste generated is
non-hazardous, meaning free from patient contact and
contamination. It is estimated that between 20 and 25 percent
of such waste could be attributed to plastic packaging and
products.
Global Scenario
Healthcare facilities across America
generate around 14 000 tons of waste per day. Up to 25% of
this is made up of plastic products such as packaging. The US
Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council has created a detailed
guidance document to help boost recycling rates of commonly
binned medical waste. By weight, almost 5 million pounds (or
40%) of plastic scrap generated at US hospitals is
sterilisation wrap. Another 25% comprises other types of
flexible non-woven and film packaging, while 19% represents
paper, roughly 10% are rigid plastics. Around 5% is a mix of
glass, metal, and foil.
The fact is that a lot of materials are
incinerated or landfilled without reason. It is estimated that
the ‘vast majority’ of that medical plastic waste – up to 85%
– is non-infectious. Overall, it is believed that 1 million
tons of clean, non-infectious healthcare plastics is generated
at healthcare facilities nation-wide every year.
As per an international expert,
environmentally minded staff in hospitals have been the
primary driving force in the successful implementation of
recycling systems. However, the entire supply chain has a role
to play. That begins with the medical device manufacturer, who
should keep end-of-life issues in mind when designing devices,
and extends to hospital 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.
While there is no organized information
about the healthcare waste scenario in India, it is also
likely to be similar.
Good Potential for Recycling
There is very good potential in recycling
healthcare / medical plastics particularly commonly used
materials like PVC. It is found that PVC medical products can
be separated relatively easily by hospital staff. Recycling
PVC diverts waste and useful resources from landfill and
reduces the consumption of energy feedstock in
the production of new products and hence, there is a
very good case to take-up PVC Recovery programs in line with
successful global models, of course after ascertaining the
Indian scenario.
Common Recyclable Plastics
Some of the most common recyclable medical
plastics include the following :
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Tyvek, made from high-density polyethylene, is a common
material used in sterile barrier packaging.
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Sterilization wrap, often referred to as blue wrap, is a
sterile material made from polypropylene (PP) that protects
surgical instruments and other items from contamination.
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Saline bottles are a common operating room product, typically
made from PP.
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Water pitchers, basins and trays are common patient care
products, typically made from polyethylene terephthalate.
Medical grade PVC is a high quality
compound that can be recycled into many new soft PVC
applications. It is estimated that of all plastics waste
generated by a hospital, PVC medical products are about 25 per
cent. Recycling PVC can be cheaper than disposing to regular
waste..
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