About the project
Hunter New England LHD are committed to supporting the circular economy which is a process of reusing waste and making it into new materials. The John Hunter Hospital have pioneered plastic recycling at scale in healthcare since 2022.
Project details
The overarching goal is to create projects which work toward some of the key targets set by the NSW Government Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041, such as:
- tripling the plastics recycling rate by 2030
- achieving an 80 per cent recovery rate from all waste streams by 2030.
Our District’s sustainability champions organise collections across specific units. This includes operating theatres, wards, labs, and clinics, which is turned into local products. We then buy these products back, where possible.
Our sustainability champions are the reason why these projects are successful. They invest a lot of time and effort in supporting waste segregation, plastic recycling, and the circular economy.
Some recycling streams are a temporary measure, while we continue to explore reusable options.
Project outcomes
Since launching the project in 2023, John Hunter Hospital has saved 18 tonnes of plastic from going to landfill every year, and reduced:
- 12 tonnes of soft plastic including sterile wrap, plastic wrap and Intravenous (IV) bags.
- 6 tonnes of hard plastic including fluid bottles, baby bottles, pathology plastics, breathing circuits, needle caps, and plastic packaging.
You can learn more about the products our plastics have been reused in.
Related information
- Australian Circular Economy Hub
- Australia Trade and Investment Commission – Building a circular Australia
- Circular Australia – Plastics in healthcare
- Delivering sustainable healthcare in Hunter New England
- Environment Protection Authority – New South Wales Plastics Action Plan
- Environment Protection Authority – Waste Delivery Plan
- NSW Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041