NHS in Yorkshire bought more than 67 million disposable cups in 5 years

What is the remedy for NHS?

THE NHS in Yorkshire and Humber bought more than 67m disposable cups over the last five years, new figures show.

Based on the latest population estimates, this works out as more than one coffee cup for every person currently living in England.

Across the country the NHS purchased more than 600m disposable cups – or 11 per person in England, data obtained through freedom of information requests by the Press Association showed.

It comes amid increasing alarm over the environmental impact of throwaway items and significant Government moves to crack down on single use plastics.

The worst offender among 21 trusts in the Yorkshire and Humber region was Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which purchased more than 19.8m cups since 2013.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust bought more than 12.7m.

They were among the 14 NHS providers around the country which purchased more than 10m cups over the last five years.

Commons Environmental Audit Committee chair and Labour MP for Wakefield Mary Creagh told The Yorkshire Post: “The NHS has a significant carbon footprint and has taken steps to reduce it in many areas.

“It now needs to look at its use of single use cups and work with manufacturers to develop

sustainable alternatives.” Conservative former minister and Scarborough and Whitby MP Robert Goodwill said the data highlighted the scale of the problem and urged NHS providers to come up with alternative that could also help them save money. Mr Goodwill, who also sits on the Environmental Audit Committee, said: “Everybody, whether it be public sector, private sector or individuals needs to think and work how we can be as successful with disposable cups as we have been with supermarket plastic bags.”

Plastic, foam and paper cups are used across the NHS from waiting rooms to wards, for drinks and medicines.

While some can be readily recycled others are considerably harder to recycle such as plasticlined coffee cups or polystyrene.

There are sometimes clinical reasons behind using disposable cups – such as avoiding using glass in some mental health wards.

Earlier this year England’s chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, said the NHS one of the world’s largest employers – was a “significant polluter” and should cut its impact.

Greenpeace UK senior oceans campaigner Louise Edge said: “These huge figures demonstrate just how out of control our relationship with single-use plastic has become. It’s time for the Government to step in and help suppliers find solutions.”

Kevin O’Regan, director of hotel services at the Sheffield Trust said it was one of the largest NHS providers, treating more than two million patients a year across five hospitals and employing 17,500 staff, meaning it will “inevitably” be among the top buyers.

“Despite this we have reduced by almost 42 per cent the number of disposable cups we purchase and we are committed to reducing this further and promoting sustainable alternatives wherever appropriate,” he said.

Craige Richardson, director of estates and facilities at the Leeds Trust echoed Mr O’Regan’s comments about being a large provider and said the “majority” of cups are used in clinical areas where they are required for infection control, while all its hospitals have implemented “dry mix recycling” for disposable cups.

THE SCALE of the challenge facing Britain when it comes to environmental sustainability is the fact that the NHS purchased more than half a billion disposable cups over the last five years. Indicative of the workload of the nation’s hospitals, it also throws up very practical questions, like the amount of time, money – and water – that would be required if NHS trusts were required to use their best, and most durable, crockery.

Yet, while Environment Secretary Michael Gove regularly walks to the Cabinet carrying a reusable cup, perhaps Britain’s manufacturers should be incentivised by the Government to come up with a practical invention for the benefit of the whole country. After all, this is an issue which impacts upon all public and private sector organisations and it would be wrong to single out hospitals – patients, visitors and relatives are under enough stress, and pressure, without trying to remember to take their own recyclable cup with them.