Partnership leads Local Health District toward neutral carbon footprint
Date published: 08 Nov 2022
Author: Elizabeth Williams
Intravenous bags, hard plastics such as sterilisation trays, baby bottles, cardboard, crutches, scissors and other various metals are just a few of the popular hospital items that are now recycled at the NSW hospital.
“We haven’t seen momentum and action like this before here in terms of sustainability,” said Tyson Campos, HSNSW’s Loading Dock Supervisor, currently stationed at JHH.
Initiated by JHH theatre staff passionate about recycling, a sustainability partnership between HSNSW and Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) now supports more staff than ever to work to reach a neutral carbon footprint at JHH.
“Recycling for us is very much a passion project,” Tyson said. “We have a lot of enthusiastic champions that we work alongside within the facility. They are proactive within their teams about the best way to capture these streams.”
The purchase of two brand new recycling balers acquired by local doctors’ Training and Education Study Leave funds have also been vital to recycling success.
Over the next 20 years the volume of waste generated in NSW annually is expected to grow from 21 million tonnes in 2021 to nearly 34 million tonnes by 2041, the latest NSW State of the Environment Report revealed.
Jennifer Van Cleef, HSNSW’s Executive Director of Patient Services and Planning, said Tyson’s leadership and team are an example of the ways HSNSW are working with their LHD partners to reduce waste streams and divert waste from landfill.
“We’re driving action and helping to build a sustainable NSW Health system,” Jen said. “One that cares for today’s patients, without compromising the patients of tomorrow."
“Sustainability in healthcare isn’t just a vision. At HSNSW we are making sustainable practices part of our everyday business – which is to keep our hospitals running.
“We are grateful to work closely together with HNELHD to reach our sustainability goals.”
Dr Ramsey Awad, Executive Director of Infrastructure, Planning and Sustainability at HNELHD said they are proud of progress so far.
“Meaningful partnerships with NSW Health staff, communities and industry are the key to meeting the sustainability challenge,” Dr Awad said.
For more on HealthShare NSW’s sustainability work see our Strategic Plan 2020-2024 (PDF).
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