Sustainability interventions in nursing wards
General resources
Reusable baby bottle
Disposable baby bottles used for feeding have a considerable environmental impact due to the high consumption rates in hospitals1, even though reusable alternatives are available. A reusable glass baby bottle is the preferred option2.
Intervention
Replace disposable baby bottles with reusable ones.
Exclusion: This intervention applies only to baby bottles provided by the hospital for feeding. Reusable bottles brought in by parents are not included.
Environmental impact
Measured in CO₂ emissions, based on the reduction in disposable baby bottles and the reuse of reusable bottles.
Implementation approach
Look at the implementation approach for a (reusable) product and consult the step-by-step guide for more information on setting objectives, implementation and evaluation.
When is it implemented?
This intervention is considered implemented when nursing units that use baby bottles have switched to reusable ones and the difference in CO₂-equivalent (kg) has been calculated.
How this is measured?
Determine the number of disposable baby bottles using the purchase data.
The environmental impact of this intervention can be determined using the purchase data for the number of disposable baby bottles, see method of measuring intervention with purchasing data.
Resources
There are no inspirational resources available yet. Has your hospital already implemented this intervention and would you like to share your experience? Please contact the Together for greener healthcare programme.
Footnotes
- Dutch Federation of University Medical Centers. (June 2024). National inventory of UMCs medical disposables.
- In the project “B.E.S.T. bottle: Baby-safe & Ecofriendly? “Studying impacts and Testing for quality” at the Amsterdam UMC is currently investigating which material is best for a reusable baby bottle.
Resultaten
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View our other interventions
Nursing practice
Using the same infusion sets on every ward
When hospital departments use different IV systems, IV lines may need to be replaced when a patient is transferred because the systems are not compatible. This leads to unnecessary waste, takes additional time, and can cause discomfort for the patient. A single, standardised IV system prevents this.
Monitoring parameters
Reusable transport bag for laboratory samples
Nurses collect various samples for diagnostic testing. For transport to the laboratory, different single-use containers such as cups, bags, or kidney trays are currently used and then discarded. A reusable transport container is a more sustainable alternative.
