RecoMed PVC takeback scheme now active in 37 UK hospitals

RecoMed, the PVC takeback scheme for single-use medical devices, has launched its new website – www.recomed.co.uk – in response to rising interest from the healthcare sector in reducing and recycling plastic waste.

Set up in 2014, RecoMed provides an alternative, sustainable recycling route for waste medical items, such as oxygen masks and tubing, made from high-quality medical grade PVC.

The new website contains all the information potential participants need, including how RecoMed works, case studies and latest news, which is also shared via its Twitter account – @RecoMedUK

Currently 37 NHS and private hospitals from Plymouth to Newcastle are actively participating in the scheme nationwide – run by resource recovery specialist Axion, in partnership with the British Plastics Federation (BPF), RecoMed is funded by VinylPlus®, the voluntary sustainable development programme of the European PVC industry.

The first scheme of its kind in Europe, RecoMed coordinates every step in the recycling journey – from providing staff training and PVC collection bins in hospitals to delivering the shredded plastic to specialist recyclers where it is turned into horticultural products, such as tree-ties.

To date, nearly 22.5 tonnes of PVC has been recycled – the equivalent of approximately 747,000 oxygen masks. The majority of this total, more than nine tonnes, was collected and recycled in 2019 alone.

Mick Claes, Senior Consultant at Axion and project leader for RecoMed says the new website is very timely, given the current ‘huge swell of public interest’ behind reducing plastic waste.

“The scheme is growing, and we are seeing keen interest from healthcare professionals who see first-hand the very large amounts of plastic waste generated through their procedures, such as anaesthetics for example,” he said.

“That’s why we have provided more detail on what RecoMed can accept, the benefits to participants and how to make the scheme a success in your hospital. People are used to recycling at home and they want to do this at work too.”

Around 8,000,000 UK hospital procedures each year result in the disposal of single-use PVC masks and similar devices that could safely be recycled. These devices are currently sent to costly clinical disposal routes such as deep landfill after alternative treatment or incineration. This wastes resources and in 2018/19 the NHS spent £58.5m in waste management costs.

Outlining future plans for RecoMed, Mick says partnerships with other healthcare sector stakeholders are being discussed to facilitate the rollout to more hospitals.

“We are also looking to partner with other PVC product manufacturers and find new ‘circular’ applications for the recycled material. Our goal is simple: to increase medical PVC device recycling rates,” he added.

Axion works with a wide range of clients, from Government agencies and local authorities to companies in diverse commercial sectors, on the practical development of new processing and collection methods to recover value from waste resources. For further info, please call 0161 426 7731 or email info@recomed.co.uk

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