Projects and case studies

This is just a partial list of the projects going on around the world. If you think your project should be included here, get in touch.

Less footprint, more health

Menos huella, más salud (Less Footprint, More Health) is a program available for Global Green and Healthy Hospitals’ members in Latin America that supports hospitals and health centers in reducing their environmental footprint. The program provides a package of tools, documents, and training opportunities for participants to learn about and measure their environmental footprint while developing strategies and programs to effectively reduce their impacts. Awards recognize the efforts of health-care institutions working to measure and reduce their environmental footprint in the areas of Waste and Energy. For more information on the program, click here.  

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UNDP GEF Africa health care waste management project

With Health Care Without Harm and the WHO as principal cooperating agencies, this project is disseminating autoclave based waste treatment technologies and and replacing mercury based medical devices in four African countries: Ghana, Madagascar, Tanzania and Zambia. The project is also creating an array of policy documents, technology specifications and training materials that will be applicable to many other facilities.

Kathmandu Medical College, Nepal

Kathmandu Medical College has replaced its dirty roof-top incinerator with a waste treatment centre where infectious wastes are autoclaved and non-hazardous materials sorted for selling to recyclers. Kitchen scraps and pathological waste are treated in a biodigester built under a small garden area in the centre of the hospitals. Operational since the middle of 2016, this not only dispose of the wastes safely but generates biogas which is used in the nearby staff tea rooms. By late 2017, the digester has safely disposed of nearly ten tonnes of waste, and data collected by the staff shows that for every kilogram of waste put into the digester, gas worth 2.5 Nepalese Rupees (2.4 US cents) is generated.

Comparing reusable to single use anesthetic equipment, Western Health, Australia

The goal of this study is to compare the environmental and financial costs of using reusable and single use anesthetic equipment using life cycle assessment (LCA). This study has indicated that using reusable anesthetic equipment at Western Health saves a considerable amount of money. If extrapolated to all 18 operating theatres, Western Health is saving approximately $90,000 p.a. Download case study

Elimination and reduction from waste generated by pharmaceuticals, Complejo Asistencial "Dr. Víctor Ríos Ruiz", Chile

The institution worked to dispose and eliminate pharmaceutical products in a centralized manner and in accordance with the provisions of the corresponding environmental regulations and reviewed and made a diagnosis of their practices and procedures of centralization of purchases, storage and distribution of medicines within the hospital in order to reduce the generation of drug residues product of expirations. Download case study (in Spanish)

Replacing hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives, Corporación Hospitalaria Juan Ciudad – Mederi, Colombia

The hospital has implemented a plan to replace hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives. To accomplish this, they worked on an inventory, elaborated replacement plans and a program to safely handle the dangerous chemicals. They eliminated mercury and replaced glutaraldehyde and sodium hypochlorite. Download case study (in Spanish)

Educate patients on the safe disposal of insulin syringes, Port Shepstone Regional Hospital, South Africa

The hospital implemented a series of actions to promote environmentally friendly practices through the development of recycling projects that will significantly reduce or minimise the waste that goes to landfill sites.  One was an initiative to educate patients on the safe and correct disposal of expired and unneeded medication. Download case study

Reducing the carbon footprint of medicinal waste disposal, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom

The institution has set out a commitment to reduce their resource use, promote reuse of materials, promote correct segregation and waste disposal and to increase re-cycling across the Trust. The trials have shown that switching to Bio-bins® for non-sharp medicinal waste reduces the carbon footprint of this element of waste disposal by 46%. The financial savings are twofold as the Bio-bin® unit price is less than the previously used plastic container and as each unit is lighter the incineration bill is also reduced as the Trust is charged by weight. Download case study

Tzu-Chi Foundation, Taiwan and Malaysia

The Tzu Chi Foundation works across South-East Asia. Its facilities are implementing a variety of projects to protect the environment, especially reducing waste and energy consumption. The Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital in Taiwan has reduced waste over the last ten years, and saves over US$700,000 per annum through their e-administration system. They take back unused medicines and discourage employees and patients from using disposable utensils, avoiding the wastage of 6 million pairs of chopsticks. Nurses and volunteers at their Malaysian dialysis centre teach patients and community members about waste reduction, recycling and creating craft items from non-recyclable materials. The project has been awarded an environmental award. For more information, read the following case studies:

  • Taiwan | Environmental Stewardship: Hospital Waste Reduction, Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital. Download case study
  • Malaysia | Waste: Reduce, Re-use, and Recycle For Our Future Generations, Buddhist Tzu-Chi Dialysis Centre. Download case study

For more case studies on waste, click here.