Methods
A collective approach across the hospital was imperative to realising our environmental sustainability agenda. Not only staff, but also our patients are involved, for example the designing containers to collect clean, clear, stretchy, soft plastics across the hospital.
This has established QCH as an international example for sustainable healthcare service delivery, both financially and environmentally.
One of the first amazing ideas of the team was to take nearly expired consumables to a central area where they are exchanged at the 'medical market'. This prevented consumables being discarded, which resulted in a saving of $183,000 during the first year and $112,000 in the second year.
The green team also has a monthly meeting where people are encouraged to bring their recycling ideas. This engagement where people celebrate each other's ideas is a very important part of the project.
Some initiatives will include:
- educate staff about the importance of different coloured waste bins in the hospital
- educate staff not to use single-use plastic trays and replace them with reusable green trays
- targeted the operating theatres because the plastic there is sterile.
