Staff at Pinehill Hospital are keen to go green and have introduced initiatives to improve sustainability within the hospital. The initiative started with four members of the Physiotherapy department discussing issues such as recycling, waste disposal and reducing single-use plastic. The team is now 15-strong with representation across departments, and they are meeting regularly to discuss ways to reduce the hospital’s environmental footprint.
They introduced designated bins for the collection of writing instruments and crisp packets, with over 1000 crisp packets so far sent to TerraCycle where they are separated, cleaned and extruded into plastic pellets to make new products. Jessica King, Senior Physiotherapist and a founding member of the Green Team said: ‘We are very aware of the ongoing climate emergency and concerned about the acceleration of waste caused by the pandemic. It’s been very positive to work together on these projects around the site and play our part in sustainable healthcare.’ The team plans to start collecting other products for recycling, and simplify the waste and household recycling bins system. They aim to eliminate single-use items, such as cups and coffee capsules, from site and are interested in coming together to share ideas with other Ramsay sites.
There is more information on sustainable healthcare through The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare click here.