The procurement and waste management teams at West Herts Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which manages Watford General Hospital, have taken a major step toward sustainability by removing single-use feeding bottles from the maternity wards.
By partnering with SteriFeed, the supplier of resuable bottles which can be sterilised and reused up to five times before being recycled, this initiative has cut material consumption, reduced costs, and minimised the environmental impact of the Trust.
The Trust’s waste management team has also invested in a baler for plastics and cardboard, allowing on-site compression of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics. This creates resale opportunities for segregated plastics, lowering costs and generating revenue while reducing the need for off-site processing.
Emma Clark, Matron for Katherine Ward, said: “This initiative is a fantastic step forward in making our maternity services more sustainable. By switching to reusable infant feeding bottles, we are reducing waste and helping to protect the environment for future generations. It’s a simple yet effective change that benefits both our patients and our planet.”
Key benefits of the initiative include:
-
Drastically cutting waste by transitioning from approximately 100,900 single-use bottles annually to reusable bottles.
-
Halving mixed recycling collections, reducing vehicle journeys and carbon emissions.
-
Processing 10 tonnes of mixed cardboard and HDPE plastic baled materials a month, generating revenue of £360 to £600 per tonne based on market rates.
The Trust remains committed to sustainability, continually seeking innovative solutions to enhance environmental responsibility and support better patient care.
Video
Watch how our baby bottles move from bin to baler in this short film.
