New recycling project in the operating theatre: Maria Middelares saves over 600 kg of surgical material a year from landfill

An important step towards greater sustainability in healthcare.

Ghent, Tuesday 14 May 2024 - Maria Middelares, comprising four clinical sites, will henceforth save over 600 kg of surgical material from the waste mountain every year. A new recycling process allows the parts of some surgical instruments to be put to other uses after use. Previously, they had to be discarded after single use.

Many surgical instruments circulate in the operating theatres at the Ghent and Deinze sites, which are incinerated as medical waste after use. Maria Middelares and Johnson & Johnson joined forces to recycle some 1 500 instruments annually, thus avoiding a considerable_CO2 emission of over 1 600 kg.

The instruments, such as surgical staplers often used in abdominal and intestinal operations, will from now on be sorted separately in locked boxes at Maria Middelares' operating theatres. From now on, these instruments will get a new life thanks to the cooperation with Renewi and Greencycl:

• Renewi: once the boxes are full, they are collected on demand. Renewi is an innovative waste-to-product company that gives a new life to discarded materials. They use advanced technology to extract and recycle valuable materials from waste. Furthermore, they provide advice on waste reduction and correct sorting. Renewi already has the necessary expertise when it comes to the safe disposal of medical waste.
  
• GreenCycl: then sterilises and disassembles the instruments to separate the different materials and components for recycling. GreenCycl develops circular, economically interesting solutions for healthcare. It focuses on a future where medical instruments remain in use for as long as possible, and where recovery and reuse of resources become the new standard.

‘Maria Middelares has sustainability firmly embedded in its strategic pillars. With our annual action plan, which stems from the ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) themes of the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) legislation, we are taking concrete steps towards a more sustainable future. By carefully separating waste and recycling reusable materials, we aim to continuously improve our waste policy. We are convinced that these efforts are essential not only for the environment, but also for achieving our quality objectives.’

Isabel Verniers, staff assistant at Maria Middelares

Three times profit!

• Reuse of materials: the instruments are dismantled and the various materials are reused.
  
• Fewer emissions: reduced emissions of over 1 600 kg_CO2 per year.
  
• Financially beneficial: high-risk medical waste is the organisation's most expensive waste stream. By sorting it separately, costs can come down.