Green program a local first
St Vincent’s tackles plastic problem in Australian-first program
St Vincent’s Private Hospital Toowoomba is proud to embark on an innovative new project, which recycles and reuses medical waste to improve the facility’s environmental footprint.
St Vincent’s has signed a historic agreement with Envorinex who have partnered with GreenMed through their ‘Keep me in the loop’ program.
The health sector contributes 8 per cent of emissions in Australia. Around four tonnes of waste will be reprocessed into pellets and used for remanufacturing into products which can be repurposed at St Vincent’s. This includes items like pill cups and syringe trays.
Mission Executive at St Vincent’s Toowoomba, Dr Mark Copland, said the agreement, which was prompted by theatre staff, was a significant milestone in the local healthcare sector.
“St Vincent’s Hospital is proud to be leading the way in recycling and repurposing waste to better our environmental outcomes as a whole,” he said.
“This is a fantastic program developed by GreenMed and Envorinex who have partnered with Ability Enterprises and I’m excited to see the tangible outcomes as a result.”
The collection and reprocessing of this waste will also allow Ability Enterprises to employ new positions for vulnerable people.
“As a social enterprise with a 10-year history providing waste management services across the Toowoomba region, Ability Enterprises is proud to be a part of a project which will allow us to offer a greater range of employment opportunities to our staff,” said Ability Enterprises CEO, Tracey Scanlan.
The program is a great example of a circular economy which embraces the three pillars of sustainability - social, environmental and financial.
Envorinex CEO, Jenny Brown said the healthcare sector was responsible for a huge volume of waste.
“Most of it has traditionally gone to landfill or deep landfill sites. Our main focus right now is the problematic sterilisation wrap that is used to preserve the sterility of surgical instruments while in storage before use,” she said.
The process involved in recycling the sterilisation wrap requires no water and does not release any chemicals or toxins.
St Vincent’s Toowoomba is excited to work closely with Envorinex and Ability Enterprises to support our region and reduce our environmental footprint.