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Medical PVC take-back scheme now operational in seven UK hospitals

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A take-back scheme for the recycling of non-infectious PVC medical items is now operational in seven hospitals across the UK.

The ReocMed scheme, which has been running since early 2014, has recycled over 830kg of PVC waste as of March this year. 

RecoMed was established when VinylPlus, the voluntary sustainable development programme of the European PVC industry, commissioned UK-based resource efficiency specialists, Axion Consulting, and the British Plastics Federation (BPF), to develop a collection scheme to capture some of the estimated 2,250 tonnes of PVC waste from the UK’s hospitals each year.

Items collected include IV solution bags; nasal cannulas; oxygen tubes; anaesthetic masks and oxygen masks. By collecting these items, the scheme helps avoid certain medical devices unnecessarily ending up in clinical waste, which would otherwise be sent for incineration. Instead these items are recycled into products for the horticultural industry, such as tree ties, promoting a circular economy and reducing waste in the medical sector.

The scheme has now produced a promotional video explaining what it involves and how it is implemented. You can view the video below: 

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