Trimming the waste line
4 June 2007
Western District Health Service (WDHS) has managed to trim its waste by diverting more than 15% of its waste to recycling since joining Sustainability Victoria”s Waste Wise Program.
A recent waste audit, which is required under the Waste Wise recertification process, not only showed that the hospital has continuously improved its waste reduction measures, but is increasing its recycling every year.
Under their recertification, the waste minimisation figures that the hospital has been able to achieve, has raised the hospitals level of certification to a silver Waste Wise organisation.
“We are extremely pleased with the results, and I understand that we are the first organisation in the Southern Grampians Shire to be certified as a silver Waste Wise organisation,” WDHS Chief Executive Officer Mr Jim Fletcher said.
“All staff has been really supportive of the program and we are confident that we will be able to further improve on our waste figures,” he added.
As part of the program, the hospital has introduced standard signage throughout the facility to make managing waste easier.
The hospital is recycling all cardboard on site and also has a receptacle for the collection of printer cartridges and cooking oil. Waste and recycling has been included in staff training and environmental considerations are being made in purchasing.
“A reduction in waste is a great achievement for our hospital and the community. We believe that a good waste action plan not only improves our operations but is a good thing for the environment.
“We will be continuously looking for new ideas to make sure that we are reducing our waste and recycling as much as possible,” Mr Fletcher explained.
The Waste Wise Community Program is part of Sustainability Victoria”s state wide Waste Wise Program aimed to assist groups and organisations to reduce waste for the benefit of our community and environment. Other organisations that are certified Waste Wise organisations in the South Western region include Portland Hospital , South West Health Care, Western District Health Services, Terang Hospital, Integrated Tree Cropping and the Waste REDUCTION Group.
Organisations that are interested in identifying strategies to minimise waste within their organisation can contact Cydoni Younie, Regional Education Officer for the South Western Regional Waste Management Group on 0409 011974.
ABOVE: Western District Health Service has achieved recertification as a Silver Waste Wise Organisation.
With the certificate are: WDHS Director of Corporate Services Patrick Turnbull, WDHS Hotel Services Coordinator Norm Saligari, Waste Wise Group Regional Education Officer Cydoni Younie, WDHS Hotel Services Manager Peter Davies and Waste Wise Executive Officer Neil Povey.