Plastic Smart Hospitals

Single-use plastic serves to save time, streamline infection control, and maintain sterility standards. However, the widespread reliance on plastic significantly impacts our health, the natural environment, and the climate. There is an urgent need to reassess our dependence on plastic and its extensive use, also within the healthcare sector.

What does being plastic smart mean?

Being plastic smart doesn’t mean that we should stop using plastic alltogether. But it’s about fostering a critical and conscientious approach to its application. Unnecessary plastic needs to be eliminated. Where possible, we must find alternatives which reduce the use of single-use plastic. Moreover, it’s essential to establish a circular system for plastic, ensuring that resources are not wasted after a single use. Hospitals cannot achieve this alone. Ensuring that plastic is recycled is a societal responsibility demanding collaboration from multiple stakeholders.

To become a plastic-smart hospital, it’s essential to find the right balance between the usefulness of plastic and its environmental impact in the short and long term. Procurement decisions regarding products and equipment should carefully consider the adverse effects of extensive use of single-use plastic.

The aim of the project

The Plastic Smart Hospital project is a collaboration between Oslo University Hospital (OUS) and the waste advisory company Mepex. It is financed by the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund. The aim of the project is to explore how the use of plastic at the hospital can be reduced and how more plastic can be recycled.

Based on our findings and in collaboration with healthcare professionals, we have identified specific measures that we believe can reduce the use of plastic and improve recycling of plastic waste in hospitals.

Small actions can make a big impact: 35% reduction in the use of material in absorbent mats saves about 130 tonnes of residual waste each year. These measures could help reduce costs and CO2 emissions.