Waste Stories 8/5/2017

1. Pharmaceuticals disposal in Australia

After researching the disposal of medicines among the general Australian population, Professor Amanda Wheeler from Griffith University came across some shocking results.

Of more than 4000 people surveyed for the in the National Return and Disposal of Unwanted Medicines Project Audit 2016, around 60% admitted they had unwanted medicines stored at home.

Read more here

2. The Square mile challenge

The Square Mile Challenge is on track to reach its aim of recycling 500,000 cups by the end of April and is currently collecting around 32,000 single use coffee cups every day.

Read more here

3. Non-executive directors of CIWM Enterprises Ltd

The Board of CIWM Enterprises Ltd are seeking corporate members of the Institution with the relevant experience to apply to become Non-Executive Directors. Applicants should submit the completed application form by 19 May 2017. Shortlisted candidates will need to be available for interview week commencing 5 June 2017. 

To access the electronic application form, job description, role description and person description, please click here.

Any questions or queries should be sent to ceo@ciwm.co.uk.

4. The Group’s 2017 conference

The Group’s 2017 conference will be held on Thursday October 5, at the Northampton Town’s football ground in Sixfields, Northampton. The event will focus on the sustainable management of food waste from the healthcare and hospitality sectors. It will feature speakers from WRAP, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, the Co-opNorthamptonshire Waste Partnership and Severn Trent Water. The event will be sponsored by  Sharpsmart and Olleco.

To book click here

5. ‘Sustainable’ hospital building design

New Karolinska Solna is one of the world’s most sustainable university hospitals and one of Skanska’s largest project ever.

It is being developed with a focus on patients. This means that everything from architectural plans to the operation of the completed hospital will be based on patients’ privacy, safety and comfort.

Read more here

Waste Stories 17/2/2015

 binPhoto compliments of Stewart Maudsley (from Econix Ltd), of a bin in NZ

1. Green Investment Bank launches waste waste fund

The Green Investment Bank (GIB) has launched a new fund to support small-scale recycling and waste projects in the UK. The Recycling and Waste fund aims to raise at least £50m from the private sector and follows the launch of another fund for off-shore wind projects in 2014…

See details here: GIB waste fund

2. PVC recycling in Australia

It has been estimated that plastics (all types) account for about one third of a hospital’s general waste, most of which is sent to landfill in Australia. Of that plastic waste, PVC is estimated to represent about 25 per cent.

PVC can be recycled effectively once it is recovered from the waste stream and has been separated from other plastics or materials. A pilot PVC recovery program was initiated at Western Health Victoria in 2009. The program demonstrated that some PVC medical products can be separated relatively easily by hospital staff; the PVC can be recycled in Australia and the recyclate produced can be re-manufactured into useful new products.

See the story and video here: PVC recycling

3. Resource efficiency could generate £££billions

Resource efficiency could generate an extra £3.58bn for UK businesses by 2020, according to a new study by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra).

Read the full study here: Defra resource efficiency report

4. Symposium on sustainability in health and wellness: June 9, 2015

The symposium ‘Sustainability in Wellness and Health’ is taking place on 10th June at the Creativity Centre in Brighton. This symposium aims to present the diversity of sustainable practices within health and social care settings and to inspire change towards more sustainable practices. The School of Health Sciences at the University of Brighton is extending an invitation to academic and clinical colleagues from a wide range of disciplines who wish to engage in sustainability to submit papers and posters.

See details here: Health and wellness symposium