Sustainability interventions in nursing wards
ADL
Recycling incontinence materials
Incontinence materials are used for various patient groups in hospitals. By processing incontinence materials as a separate waste stream, resources can be recovered and reused.
Intervention
Separate collection of incontinence material and recycling. Exclusion: incontinence material with cytostatic residues.
Implementation approach
- Due to the limited capacity to recycle incontinence material in the Netherlands, it is not always possible to offer incontinence material to the waste-to-energy plant. It is expected that capacity will increase in the coming years due to changing laws and regulations. Identify in advance how many kilograms of incontinence material your hospital wants to offer using the conversion example. This can be found in the Teams channel if your hospital participates in the program Greening healthare together. Notify the waste-to-energy plant in your area of your interest in recycling and how much you expect to offer.
- Despite this limited recycling capacity, this intervention can be implemented in the hospital. Collect the incontinence material separately in the nursing wards. Work with the facilities department to offer this separated waste to the logistics department and waste-to-energy plant. Can't the waste-to-energy plant recycle yet? Segregation in advance makes it possible to respond to the future new recycling capacity and makes rapid change possible. See resources for more guidance and implementation tips.
Environmental impact
Measured in CO2 -emissions from waste separation and recovery of raw materials from incontinence material. Want to know more about the environmental impact? See the bottom of this page for more information.
Current situation
Incontinence material is collected and incinerated at the waste treatment plant
- Burn 1,000 kg = 377.2 kg CO2-eq
New situation
Incontinence material is collected and recycled at the waste treatment plant
- Recycle 1,000 kg = -270.8 kg CO2-eq
Provides +648 kg of CO2-eq on!
Incineration costs energy and recycling actually provides materials and energy. That's why recycling incontinence material returns more energy than it costs. The plastic pellets that are released are used, for example, to make flower pots and benches.
2,982 adult incontinence pants (≈ 1,000 kg incontinence material) saves
648
kg CO2-eq
and is equivalent to driving 3,324 km
When was it implemented?
This intervention is considered implemented when incontinence material in the hospital is separately collected for recycling, and the difference in CO₂ equivalent (kg) has been calculated.
How is this measured?
Determine the number of kilograms of incontinence material that is separately collected for recycling using waste management data or using purchasing data if it is not recycled yet. To calculate the killograms, use the calculation example and enter the number of kilograms in the environmental impact calculator. These can be found in the Teams channel if your hospital participates in the Greening healthcare together program.
Resources
Click here for more information about the recycling process.
Click here for the guide to sustainable incontinence care.
Click here for an example from Sophia Children's Hospital where incontinence material is separately collected for recycling.
Click here for an example from the UK, where a separate collection method for incontinence material was introduced on a pediatric ward.
View our other interventions
ADL
Reducing absorbent mat use
Disposable absorbent mats are designed to absorb large amounts of body fluids from patients. In practice, they are also used for other purposes, such as wiping up spilled liquids on the floor. In many cases, a towel or collection tray will suffice. Because of their high consumption in hospitals, absorbent mats have a significant environmental impact1.
Verpleegkundig handelen
Non-sterile bladder catheter insertion
Since July 2024, bladder catheterisation may be performed using the new ‘no-touch technique’. In this method, non-sterile gloves are used, and the genital area is cleaned with tap water. This more sustainable approach requires fewer sterile materials and saves time, as the procedure can be performed by a single nurse. With this intervention, nurses put the new guideline into practice.
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.
