Achieving the Carbon Trust Standard
Working in partnership with Barts Health NHS Trust, our Skanska waste management service contract has helped Barts become the first trust in the UK to be awarded the Carbon Trust Standard for waste management.
Improving the environment
By harnessing people’s desire to help improve the environment, our waste management service helps the trust, hospital staff, patients and the public think differently about waste. It does this through clever use of technology, communications and education to change people’s behaviour.
The main aims are to:
- better control waste disposal methods
- improve waste separation within the hospital
- improve compliance, through continuous auditing
- increase innovation
- improve safety of the workforce
- reduce costs, particularly of waste disposal
In four years we have:
- carried out 346,000 waste bin audits
- trained in excess of 7,000 staff
- improved compliance by over 20 per cent
- reduced needle-stick injuries to zero
- reduced the volume of clinical waste by over 25 per cent
- saved over £1.5 million pounds
Cheaper waste disposal
By separating waste streams, the behavioural change programme enabled the collection of what is known as offensive waste – non-clinical material which isn’t infectious or contaminated with chemicals or drugs but which may be unpleasant to come in contact with, such as outer dressings. This is significantly cheaper to dispose of than the most hazardous waste.
Environmental impact was reduced from day one of the contract, with no waste being sent to landfill sites. We also transported the waste more efficiently, cutting carbon emissions.
Some of the innovations include:
- offensive clinical waste separation – saving £200,000 in the first six months
- solar compacting smart bins – collections reduced by 90 per cent
- reusable sharps containers – cost savings of around 10 per cent
- reverse vending machines – recognised by the Green Apple Awards
Finding out more
More about our services for Healthcare
Our work with Bart’s and London hospitals
Our services for Healthcare
Our approach to Environmental responsibility
