Search

Sustainability is an issue for both healthcare and social care organisations. Understanding the similarities and differences between healthcare and social care waste compositions, especially the amounts of potentially recyclable waste, can help target waste reduction strategies more effectively. A waste audit was undertaken at four health and social care sites in the South West of England. A comparison was made between the waste compositions of healthcare clinical and domestic waste streams and those of social care sites. Over a three-month period, 115 bags of waste (69 clinical and 46 domestic waste bags) were weighed and the contents catalogued. A greater number of items and unique item types were found on average at the healthcare site in comparison to the social care sites. The domestic waste streams at all four sites contained high proportions of potentially recyclable wastes. The clinical waste stream of the healthcare site also contained the highest proportion of potentially recyclable waste (66%). The differences in the amounts of potentially recyclable waste between the four study sites demonstrate the importance of understanding the composition of the different waste streams to inform the design of effective and impactful interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding waste management behaviour requires a range of data collection approaches. Observational studies collecting qualitative data are as useful as quantitative studies for understanding behaviour. Previous studies have examined quantities of waste being disposed of, who disposed of the waste, and the material composition of the waste, however, attention to the motivations and reasoning behind the disposal of the waste has been limited. The study was conducted at one healthcare site and three social care sites in the South West of England from 1 May to 31 July 2012. Data were collected by overt observation using photographs, diagrammatic sketches, field notes and digitally recorded informal discussions with employees responsible for disposing of waste. Three primary themes were evident in the data; communication; influence of the environment on the employee; how employees think about waste management. Ensuring that the environment facilitates appropriate waste management behaviour can help improve waste segregation and recycling rates. Clear and visible communication of waste management information will help remind employees how best to dispose of waste. Understanding how employees think about waste management can inform the development of interventions to improve overall waste management practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on health care waste management of a private hospital and social care organizations in Great Britain. Topics discussed include the emergence of domestic waste bin as the most commonly used by employees to dispose of waste, significant different between the four health and social care sites used in the study, and the need to focus the transfer of waste from the domestic waste stream to the recycling waste stream.

This paper reports an investigation intended to obtain some understanding of how the working environment might influence the practice and knowledge of those involved in the management of healthcare waste. The National Health Service (NHS) has a continuing waste problem, and the way it manages waste harms the environment and consumes resources. It has been estimated that the carbon footprint of the NHS in England is approximately 20 million tons of CO2e. It has been suggested that better waste segregation could lead to more effective recycling, saving up to 42,000 tonnes of CO2. This qualitative study employed nonparticipant observation and semi-structured interviews. The interviews were carried out with the key informants within the participating neonatal intensive care unit. Findings from this study indicate that space and the physical arrangement of the environment are significant and influential factors in clinical practice. Where the clinical environment is not supportive, poor infection control and waste management practice is likely to occur. However, proximity of staff caused by a lack of physical space might facilitate situated learning and a collective development of knowledge in practice. The implementation of sustainable waste management practices would be more likely to succeed in an environment that facilitates correct waste segregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]