NHS chief hails Mail’s war on plastic – and orders hospitals to follow suit

DAME Sally Davies praised the Daily Mail for ‘galvanising the public’ to reduce the scourge of plastics.

The chief medical officer wants the NHS to follow our example by encouraging the recycling of plastic objects such as oxygen masks, tubes and other devices.

Although they cannot necessarily be used again for medical purposes – due to strict hygiene precautions – they can be turned into other objects.

‘As chief medical officer, my job is to protect and promote human health,’ she said. ‘One of the key findings in my report is that we need to see pollution as the health risk it is alongside an environmental one.

‘The impact plastic is having on our environment is terrible and the Daily Mail is playing a helpful role in increasing awareness, galvanising the public and driving positive change.’

One of the most widely used plastics in hospitals is PVC, which can be easily recycled. Dame Sally wants hospitals to send old anaesthetic face masks and tubes into recycling bins installed on wards.