A UK collection scheme for single-use PVC waste from medical devices has recycled more than 830 kg of material and now operates in seven hospitals, reports the British Plastics Federation (BPF, London / UK; www.bpf.co.uk). Items collected as part of the “RecoMed” (www.bpf.co.uk/recomed.aspx) scheme include IV solution bags, nasal cannulas, oxygen tubes, anaesthetic masks and oxygen masks. The scheme is a partnership project between the BPF and Axion Consulting (Bramhall / UK; www.axionconsulting.co.uk), and is funded by the European PVC industry’s VinylPlus (www.vinylplus.eu) sustainable development programme.

By collecting these items, the scheme helps avoid certain medical devices unnecessarily ending up in clinical waste and being sent for incineration, the BPF said. The items are recycled into products for the horticultural industry, such as tree ties.

“RecoMed is growing and we’re expecting more hospitals to join the scheme in 2016,” said project manager Jane Gardner of Axion Consulting. “It is estimated that up to 2,250 t of PVC could be recycled by collecting these items alone from 150 hospitals in the UK, enabling them to save money on their waste disposal costs and increase recycling rates.”

VinylPlus is a voluntary programme which aims to create a long-term sustainability framework for the PVC value chain. Last year VinylPlus’ operational arm, Recovinyl, registered and certified 508,154 t of recycled PVC – see Plasteurope.com of 11.05.2016. The UK contributed 21%, or 107,593 t, with PVC-U profiles waste accounting for more than half.