Sorting your waste correctly can help to keep people safe, protect our NHS, and protect our planet.

It’s important that all our waste gets dealt with in the right way. With new resources now available which look at how we dispose of two types of waste (metal and battery waste), we caught up with waste management colleagues to hear about the benefits of getting this right – and the risks when we don’t dispose of our waste correctly.  

What are the benefits of sorting our waste correctly – and what are the risks if we don’t? 

We spoke to Ruth Innes (Sustainability Manager – Waste and Resource Efficiency, NHSScotland Assure, NHS National Services Scotland) and Neil Duncan (Waste Manager, NHS Grampian and Chair of the National Waste Management Steering Group) to find out more.  

As Ruth explains: “We all need to segregate our waste correctly to keep people safe and meet our legal responsibilities.

“Timely and safe waste collection is essential for the continued operation of clinical sites, and any disruption could directly impact patient care.  

“And we want to put our waste in the right bins – we can reduce our environmental and financial impact too.” 

Neil continues: “It costs us up to 3 times more to dispose of clinical waste compared to general waste, so we have an opportunity to make a big difference here. 

“Every one of us produces waste, whether you work in an operating theatre or a ward, a warehouse or a lab, an office or behind the wheel.  

“So we can all help to reduce risks, reduce costs and reduce our carbon footprint by thinking before we throw.” 

So how do I sort my metal and battery waste correctly?

We’ve developed materials to give us all the knowledge and confidence we need to sort metal and battery waste correctly across NHSScotland. Colleagues can find these on the resources page of our NHSScotland Sustainability Action SharePoint site.

Photo by John Cameron