Hospital recycling scheme on course to save £100k

The country's first hospital recycling facility is on course to save £100,000 in waste disposal costs, a NHS trust has said.

The site, on a car park at Hull Royal Infirmary, has been operating for two months and has a target of recycling 80% of the hospital's domestic waste.

Bags of rubbish are brought to the materials recycling facility (MRF) where it is sorted through.

NHS Humber Health Partnership said the initiative was believed to be the first in England and had cut the cost of disposing of its waste by £200 per tonne.

Facilities service manager Mike James said: "We've gone to great lengths to provide more bins for different types of waste across the various wards and departments in order to help with that first level of segregation.

"Food bins have been placed in all kitchens and staff restrooms, for example, with other mixed recycling bins provided depending on the physical space available."

Food waste is sent to an anaerobic digester, which converts it into methane before it is then used to create energy, with the residue from the process used as liquid fertiliser.

A compactor is used to compress the waste into bales to reduce the number of lorry trips needed to collect it.

There are plans to convert some of the recycled plastic into benches and chairs for the hospital.

Mr James said as well as meeting legal requirements for recycling, the MRF scheme at the infirmary and nearby Castle Hill Hospital would "deliver waste management savings of around £100,000".

"But it's not just about the financial benefits," he added.

"It's also about being a responsible employer, respecting our environment and, basically, just doing the right thing."

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