Forth Valley Hospital theatre staff’s green efforts cut costs

Measures taken include discontinuing the use of one of three anaesthetic gases

which has a higher contribution to global warming, reducing the amount of waste which requires to be incinerated or heat treated and cutting back on cardboard rubbish.

No longer using one of the three anaesthetic agents has saved £32,000 a year and prevented

more than the equivalent of 300 tonnes of CO2 being emitted annually.

The environmental impact is similar to 200 cars off the road or 1.6 million car miles.

The cardboard savings are generating a further £1250 per year while reducing the amount of incinerated waste is saving £7000 per year.

Prior to 2016, the majority of the waste was placed in orange clinical bags which were sent for incineration or heat treatment, a costly process both financially and for

the environment due to the CO2 emitted by the processing and the transport.

NHS Forth Valley consultant anaesthetist, Ewan Jack who is also the clinical lead for Theatres, said: “The recycling doesn’t stop within the operating theatres, it has spread to the coffee room and administration offices in the theatre department.

“All recyclable waste is now being segregated for recycling including paper, plastic containers, cans, glass bottles, printer cartridges and batteries.

“The future at NHS Forth Valley is bright and we’d encourage all other departments within our hospital and elsewhere to follow our practice to help save planet and the NHS.”

Three of the Consultant Anaesthetists at NHS Forth Valley are active members of the Scottish Environmental Anaesthesia Group, which shares and spreads ideas of good practice. The hospital’s next green steps include identifying ways to reduce the amount of electricity used outwith normal working hours.