Study: Bulk of hospital plastic waste nonessential

MANILA, Philippines — Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) recommended the use of reusable items in health institutions to minimize plastic waste after a waste audit of five government-run hospitals showed that nonessential waste accounted for more than half of plastic waste generated.

In a press briefing hosted by HCWH and the Department of Health (DOH), the international organization presented its key findings in the waste audit of five hospitals during the pandemic.

The Lung Center of the Philippines, a COVID-19 referral hospital; Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center; National Center for Mental Health, which has opened hundreds of beds to accommodate COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms; National Children’s Hospital; and Quirino Memorial Medical Center were included in the waste audit.

The evaluation of the hospitals’ key areas—emergency room, dietary department, medical ward and intensive care unit—was conducted to understand the effects of the pandemic in the quality and quantity of wastes generated in medical institutions and to find ways to address these waste issues.

Figures showed that the medical facilities produce an average weight of 226 kilograms of waste per day during the lockdown. The audit also said 50 percent of the average waste produced in the key areas of the hospitals were identified as infectious, and that 75 percent of the trash generated was made of plastic.

Climate Reality leader Via Jucille Roderos said one of the pressing issues said in the audit was the amount of nonessential waste generated, meaning waste that is unrelated to patient care.

From the total plastic waste, 57 percent was nonessential plastics that were not used directly for patient care. These items included plastic utensils, sachets and bottles of water.

Meanwhile, 25 percent of plastic waste consisted of medical devices, with syringes as the most commonly used tool.