The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) has teamed up with Yorkshire waste management company Yorwaste to improve on recycling rates across the hospital sites in Leeds.
LTHT and Yorwaste are currently running a trial on selected wards and in departments at St James’s University Hospital to test the effectiveness of on-site sorting with the introduction of new recycling bins.
It is hoped that these bins, which were introduced on Monday 2 November, will mean that waste can be sorted more efficiently and stop the system of sorting charges, whereby the hospitals have to pay for recyclable items to be separated at a later stage.
Disposing of domestic waste costs the Trust around £300,000 a year, which includes off-site sorting of the material. If successful, the trial could lead to the roll-out of the new segregated bins across all seven hospitals in the Trust saving around £90,000 per annum.
Director of Strategic Planning for LTHT Simon Neville said: “We are always looking for ways to make efficiencies at our hospitals to ensure that tax-payers’ money is spent wisely. By trialling a system of separate recycling bins with Yorwaste, we hope to work towards a 100% recycling rate for dry mix items across our hospitals and save money by sorting on-site.
“Everyone has a part to play improving the environment for future generations. It is especially important that large organisations such as LTHT put in place systems to reduce waste. Green initiatives such as this demonstrate our commitment towards reducing landfill and doing our bit to help protect the planet.”
Yorwaste Key Account Manager, Gillian Mulroe said “We are very excited about continuing our work in partnership with LTHT. The Trust already have a high rate for recycling following waste treatment and segregation processes that we have helped them to achieve.
“The Trust’s moving to segregation of recycling at source will ensure a quality material is collected, and is the next step on the path to a more sustainable approach to waste management. This benefits not only the environment, but sees a cost reduction for the hospitals.”
This initiative comes as Leeds Teaching
Hospitals launches GRASP, their new sustainability campaign standing for be Green, Recycle, be Aware, be Sustainable for our
Patients. The campaign aims to reduce the carbon footprint of hospitals in Leeds and save money through steps like improving recycling and saving energy.