Waste strategy
sharps containers. It was advised that non- medicinally contaminated sharps could instead be sent for alternative treatment. Furthermore, orange-lidded sharps boxes were introduced as an alternative not only in theatres, but also on each ward, e.g. for phlebotomy sharps. These changes were accompanied by ward-by-ward training sessions, in conjunction with the hospital’s infection control team. This particular ‘case study’
demonstrates how the hospital changed its approach to waste, and used correct segregation. while maintaining high standards of infection control. In 2011, the hospital was able to report that it had segregated out 67 tonnes of infectious clinical waste to alternative treatment, helping to reduce levels of incineration to around 25% of the volumes compared to the same period two years previously.
sharps disposal New sharps disposal solutions in the marketplace can provide healthcare organisations with a sustainable route, whilemaintaining safety and infection control standards. Following successful operation in the US via our parent company Stericycle, and studies on the effectiveness of such a service, we launched a sharps management service in the UK to deal with sharps disposal in a safe, sustainable manner. Since November 2012, our independently validated disinfection process featuring an automated wash line replaces the need to dispose of a sharps container after just one use, and instead increases the re-use of containers up to 600 times each, offering significant carbon savings to the NHS. As part of our managed service for
Sustainability and
clinical waste producers, trained technicians deliver, locate, collect, and exchange, sharps bins, also known as Bio Systems, from customer premises. This then reduces the need for staff to handle the bins and put themselves at a risk of a needlestick injury. The SRCL containers with the sharps waste are then taken to a treatment facility, where they are opened, emptied, and disinfected, using an automated wash-line that is operated with robotics technology. Finally, the containers are meticulously inspected, before being returned to customers in a ready-to-use condition.
A robotic system Not too dissimilar to an advanced car assembly line in many ways, this robotic system and way of managing sharps waste make a big difference to overall carbon reduction, since the Bio Systems containers are used up to 600 times, as opposed to the traditional route of being disposed of after a single use. The reduction in associated packaging for single-use containers, and the lower
48 Health Estate Journal September 2013
The locking system on one of the reusable Bio Systems sharps containers.
transport costs, make their own significant contributions to sustainability goals, and to reducing greenhouse gases. Preventing needlestick injuries is a
constant aim for health Trusts. Even one needlestick injury is deemed too many, and the Sharps Management Service helps minimise risk. This, coupled with the environmental advantage of reusing the containers, provides all-round benefits. In implementing the Sharps
Management Service, we train staff to undertake an assessment of customer facilities to develop a sharps management schedule. The team also undertakes training with frontline staff to address any questions, and to reinforce the site’s own sharps policy.
About the authors
Stuart Budd Stuart Budd, head of Environment, Safety and Health at SRCL, has extensive experience in environmental regulation and all aspects of healthcare waste management. He holds a degree in chemical engineering, and has worked for a number of companies and organisations, including the Environment Agency, where he was responsible for the ‘permitting’ and ongoing regulation of a wide range of industrial activities. Under his leadership, the SRCL
Environment, Safety and Health team is responsible for advising the business on all regulatory aspects of its waste management operations in the UK and Ireland. The team members’ background and experience allow SRCL to provide comprehensive compliance resources that it claims ‘cannot be matched by any other waste management company’. The team works closely with the
regulatory agencies, Government departments, and customers, to ensure
that SRCL can deliver new and existing services in accordance with relevant legislation, operation permits, and applicable guidance.
Keerti Baker Keerti Baker, PR and communications executive at SRCL, is an ex-journalist who now works within the public relations team for SRCL – the UK’s largest clinical waste services organisation. A business-to-business PR specialist, she has a strong interest in new technologies within healthcare and waste, and is ‘passionate about sustainable offerings within the industry’.
Established technology This new process by SRCL is bringing established technology from the US, backed by the added reassurance of solid research into its effectiveness. A survey conducted by an independent market consultant in 52 US hospitals using the service showed that 77 per cent of customers reported that needlestick incidents dropped to 0-1 per year. In terms of safety outcomes, 85 per cent of hospital staff responded that they ‘strongly agreed/ agreed’ that utilising the Sharps Management Service increased safety outcomes in their facility thanks to the proactive exchange of the Bio Systems reusable containers. By eliminating the need for hospital staff to handle the container exchange, the system directly decreased staff exposure to injury, and 91 per cent of respondents ‘strongly agreed/agreed’ that ‘using the Sharps Management Service with Bio Systems reusable containers is a clinical best practice’. It is, of course, paramount that users
are confident that the reusable sharps containers are safe, and disinfected to the highest standards. Furthermore, time that is spent by staff organising sharps disposal, and the assembly of containers, can instead be spent on patient care. In summary, although challenges differ from one healthcare organisation to the next, when we look at clinical waste it is very apparent that today the best practice is one of ‘clinical waste management’, and not just ‘clinical waste disposal’.
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