Cheshire hospitals outsource waste management service

Published: 18-Apr-2012

Cheshire trust signs deal for waste and recycling operations in effort to be more sustainable


A private company has been commissioned to take over all waste management and recycling services at hospitals across Cheshire in a bid to make East Cheshire NHS Trust more sustainable.

The trust has become the first organisation to sign up to SRCL’s new Integrated Waste Stream Solutions (IWSS). The contract covers the trust’s main hospital, Macclesfield District General, as well as eight further facilities across Cheshire and sees SRCL managing all clinical and domestic waste disposal and mixed dry recycling, including materials such as cardboard, paper, waste electronics and IT equipment, and glass.

This is the first time the trust has brought all its waste streams together under the management of one provider and is a result of the consolidation of its existing contracts with SRCL. The integrated approach will enable SRCL to identify the most efficient and effective segregation processes and recycling options.

Neil Barker, IWSS manager at SRCL, said: “We believe a further 50-60% of healthcare waste currently produced could in fact be recycled. However, the challenge in this busy environment is ensuring it is segregated correctly. Reducing the spread of infection is paramount, however greater education of what waste should go in which bin will help Trusts make significant steps forward in improving recycling rates and ultimately ensuring that waste is sent to the correct treatment option.”

Clinical waste disposal requires the incineration of highly-infectious items. This makes it the most expensive disposal route. By separating out materials that can be sent for alternative treatment or recycling, resource efficiency can be improved and costs saved. SRCL will be providing THE training to frontline staff and will introduce a waste segregation and diversion system to wards, communal areas and offices.

Janet Moore, strategic procurement manager at East Cheshire NHS Trust, said: “The trust has set itself objectives for reducing waste and carbon. With SRCL undertaking management of all our waste streams, we are confident this overarching approach will enable us to quickly identify areas where we can make significant achievements in reducing waste to landfill and improving recycling rates.”

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