With the increase during the past year of PPE in hospitals across the UK, many are now recycling nearly tonne of PPE every month.
The waste is melted into plastic blocks which can be made into bins, bottles and other items. In Yorkshire, Hospitals use a recycling firm to turn the waste into hand sanitiser stations using 5000 masks.
The Royal Cornwall hospital in Truro gets through about 10,000 masks a day at its trusts three sites. Recycling machines are also being rolled out at St Michael’s Hospital in Hayle and West Cornwall Hospital in Penzance.
The recycling machine was introduced at the Royal Cornwall Hospital last December by general manager Roz Davies.
The waste PPE and masks, without their ear loops, are turned into blocks of plastic by recycling machinery manufacturer, Thermal Compaction Group (TCG).
“We hope this will be a real game-changer in the way we tackle single-use PPE, not only for us here in Cornwall but across the UK and beyond,” she said.
“The use of masks has grown extraordinarily, but now we have the option to recycle them, as well as other items such as theatre wraps and gowns that would previously have been transported out of Cornwall for specialist incineration.”
The high temperature of the melting process sterilises the plastic waste, TCG said.
Custom Labels produce 100’s thousands of Trauma labels for Hospitals throughout the UK which can be applied to PPE Gowns to ensure role identification. As the base material of the trauma labels is recyclable its great to know that the single use gowns can now be recycled and be re-used as a new product.
Would you like a Trauma Label catalogue and any free samples to trial?
Please contact Custom Labels Ltd on 01278 433800 or see hospital labels on our website.
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