Single use plastic is harmful to our health and our environment — yet it's everywhere in our healthcare system.

This harm starts from the time plastic is produced.

98% of single use plastics are made from fossil fuels, driving climate change. Once used, these items are thrown out, creating pollution and waste. About one-third of a hospital's general waste is plastic. Less than 10% of plastic is recycled.

But innovative solutions are emerging around the world:

• The Wesley Hospital in Brisbane avoids the use of 480,000 plastic straws annually by changing practice and switching products.
• Auckland District Health Board delisted hard plastic drug trays from their purchasing catalogue, replacing them with compostable drug trays.
• Greater Ormond Street Hospital in the UK reduced their non-sterile glove use by 3.7 million in one year through education and communication.
• Ramsay Health Care has pledged to remove 24 million single-use plastic items every year from its Australian operations.
• Warringal Private Hospital's Day Oncology replaced plastic packaging for chemotherapy drugs with a Woolcool.
• Yorkshire Ambulance Service replaced roughly 95% of single use plastic items from their restaurants with either reusable or recyclable materials

How to take action in your workplace

1. Assemble a team of champions
   Check out this TRA2SH resource for tips
   
   
2. Complete an audit
   Check out this Health Care Without Harm SEA resource on completing a plastic audit (here on page 18)
   
   
3. Identify stakeholders e.g. infection control, procurement, OHS, support services
   
   
4. Develop a plan and make your case
   GGHH members can download the Waste, Procurement and Chemicals guidance documents
   Check out these TRA2SH posters for reducing, reusing and recycling plastic items such as Blueys, PET, theatre caps, etc
   
   
5. Run a trial, and keep records
   
   
6. Evaluate your solution and change as needed (test and tweak)
   
   
7. Celebrate your achievement!
   It is important to make the solutions visible! Share your experiences with us at [email protected]

Want more information?

Check out our fact sheet.

Plus more resources from our partners

• Measuring and Reducing Plastics in the Healthcare Sector
  Report by Health Care Without Harm Europe
  Sep 2021
  
  
• Mobilising Health Care to Prevent Plastic Pollution: A Plastics Toolkit for Hospitals
  Report by Health Care Without Harm South East Asia
  June 2019
  
• How to measure and reduce plastic in healthcare webinar
  Webinar by Health Care Without Harm Europe
  
  
• Sustainable food contact materials in the European healthcare sector
  Report by Health Care Without Harm Europe
  
• 'Engagement in Plastic-Free Innovation for Change' business program
  Program by Plastic Oceans Australasia
  
• Plastic Waste Makers Index
  Report by the Minderoo Foundation

Together, we can reduce single use plastic in healthcare

Let us know if there's something you've found useful that we should add to this page. Contact us at [email protected]