A team of dietitians at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) are proving it is possible to exceed the Scottish Government’s ambitious recycling target of 70%.
NHS
Grampian's ‘Recycle Plastic, It’s Fantastic’ initiative, led by dietitian Rosa
Holt who is also a local farming advisor, has resulted in the recycling rate
for oral nutritional supplements and enteral tube feeds increasing from 6% to
more than 80% within the critical care department in just one year.
Rosa
explained: “Across NHS Grampian, we use around 100,000 of these bottles every
year within acute clinical areas alone. This represents a huge volume of
recyclable materials, highlighting the importance of raising awareness about
recycling.
“This
is the tip of the iceberg. With many patients at home or in other settings
receiving care using prescribed items that can be recycled, it’s even more
important to raise awareness so everyone can do their bit no matter where they
are.”
The
team’s success has sparked curiosity among staff, leading to a surge in
enquiries about other recyclable items. From yogurt pots to empty IV fluid bags
and soft plastic packaging, the list of recyclable items staff are realising
they can recycle continues to grow.
Rosa
added: “We can recycle more items here at work for NHS Grampian than we can at
home and it all goes into the same bag so it’s really easy to do. It’s just
about getting that across to people. When we started, our survey showed 77% of
staff wanted to know more about how to recycle at work and since then we’ve
discovered that 44% prefer ward-based or face-to-face information about
recycling. We’re doing as much as we can to support colleagues in person, and
we’ve also launched a YouTube playlist to provide accessible information
quickly to staff across our sites.
Rosa (left) alongside her colleague Malgorzata in the critical care department at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
“We know there is a real appetite for change, and people are truly embracing new ways of making recycling part of their routine. We have also had feedback from patients telling us it’s a relief to know NHS Grampian is doing its best to minimise our environmental impact. We have also discovered that, when it comes to recycling, protecting the environment is a priority for 68% of colleagues.”
View the team’s YouTube playlist: Recycle Plastic, It’s Fantastic!
The NHS Grampian recycling project has gained widespread recognition and has been replicated across several sites in NHS England. It was recently featured in the University of Brighton’s Intensive Care Society Environment Sustainability Recipe Book.
Reflecting on just over a year since the project got underway in NHS Grampian, Rosa commented: “It has been a really quick year with lots of people from all over the country getting in touch to find out how to replicate our work in their own areas. This is hugely exciting and we are incredibly grateful for everyone getting involved and supporting the project so far.
“Collaboration is key. For anyone who’s keen to make a difference in their area I’d recommend starting out with one or two small goals, like reminding everyone where the recycling bins are on the ward, showing visitors where recycling facilities are or choosing a different item each week to show it’s possible to recycle.
“Recycling takes no extra time and is the cheapest option for disposal in NHS Grampian, beating the others by a country mile, so it’s absolutely worth putting items in the right bin.
“Working with our Waste Manager Neil Duncan was essential to this project starting and continuing on its journey – there is so much more we can do.”
Find out more about NHS Grampian’s commitment to recycling by visiting: www.nhsgrampian.org/sustainability