Trust recovers or recycles 158 tonnes of waste

A MOUNTAIN of waste is now being recycled instead of heading for landfill thanks to the expansion of a green-fingered scheme at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

A hospital site creates a great deal of waste, so with three hospitals to manage – in Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Goole – the trust is keen to reduce its carbon footprint and cut the amount of rubbish that goes to landfill and incinerator.

A recycling scheme has been running at the Diana, Princess Of Wales Hospital for some time and has now been expanded.

The trust's director of facilities, Nigel Myhill, who is responsible for reducing carbon emissions and improving the organisation's sustainability, said: "The trust is committed to ensuring it focuses on the impact it has on the local environment and has already developed schemes to reduce its carbon footprint, such as the launch of the park and ride scheme at Scunthorpe and cross-site shuttle buses for staff."

In 2012/2013, the trust recovered or recycled 158.271 tonnes of waste, which is 10 per cent of the total waste it produced.

Mr Myhill said: "We have extended our recycling schemes across all three of our hospitals to try to increase the amount of rubbish we send for recycling."

The trust's estates officer for sustainability, Sharon Benson, said it already recycled paper and cardboard but this had now been extended to include plastics, tins and cans. She added: "By increasing our number of recycling streams we can reduce the other waste streams which currently go to landfill or autoclave. Many people already recycle at home and by including them in our recycling schemes we can make a more positive impact on the environment."

Additional bins are being placed around the hospital for people to use.