Plus-Hex CLINICAL
Segregate clinical waste
Table 1 . Vetspeed waste disposal routes .
Veterinary practices have a duty of care and a legal responsibility to ensure that clinical waste is segregated and disposed of correctly . Practices must dispose of waste in accordance with Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act ( 1990 ) [ 5 ] . Clinical waste must be disposed of correctly to avoid the contamination of other waste streams and the environment . Table 1 shows the disposal routes of Vetspeed ( CPC pet cremations and Novus Environmental waste management services ). Disposal routes may differ for other contractors .
At Woodward Veterinary Practice , posters have been placed around the practice , reminding staff which items should be disposed of in each clinical waste bin . The ‘ disposal of old pharmaceuticals ’ ( DOOP ) bins have been switched from plastic to cardboard alternatives , and labelled with guidelines on how to dispose of the various contaminated items . DOOP bins can usually be obtained from your clinical waste contractor . They should be available throughout the practice and staff informed about the correct ways to dispose of clinical waste to prevent it being placed in landfill unnecessarily , rather than being incinerated .
Shut down at the end of the day
One of the simplest ways to save energy in practice is to shut down electrical items at the end of the day . Ensure all lights , computers and printers are switched off . Check air-conditioning and electrical heating units and turn off any timers and automatic functions .
Type of waste
Contaminated clinical waste ( sharps )
Disposal of old pharmaceuticals ( DOOP )
Medicines
Cytotoxic and cytostatic waste
Controlled drugs
Cadavers
Anatomical waste
Infectious clinical waste
Chemical waste
Waste from electrical and electronic equipment ( WEEE )
Personal protective equipment ( PPE ) waste
Offensive non-clinical waste
Disposal route Incineration
Incineration
Incineration
Incineration
Incineration
Incineration
Incineration
Incineration or treatment
Recycling
Recycling
Recycled into renewable energy
Landfill
In clinical areas , autoclave machines , ultrasound equipment and active scavenging systems can be energy eaters , so you may notice a reduction in energy use if they are turned off at the end of the day . For safety reasons , a protocol should be in place to ensure active scavenging systems are switched on in the morning before anaesthetic procedures begin .
Woodward Veterinary Practice has a night nurse to care for in-patients , so energy is used around the clock . To minimise energy use at night , we have a policy of leaving on only one computer , turning off all lights apart from those in the room being used , and charging infusion pumps only when their batteries are running low .
Adjust the room temperature
Wards are usually kept at a constant temperature of between 18 ° C and 23 ° C [ 6 ] , so it can be difficult to change the temperature in these spaces . However , you might be able to reduce the temperature in other areas , such as storage rooms and meeting rooms . In areas where you can control the temperature with a thermostat , you may find that reducing the temperature by as little as 1 ° C results in substantial energy savings .
Each of us has a personal temperature preference , so any reductions should take this into consideration so nobody is made to work in conditions they find uncomfortably cold . Similarly , it is important to ensure that areas such as theatres and kennels are kept at the correct temperature for patient safety .
Ditch autoclave pouches
You can reduce single-use plastics in the practice by swapping disposable autoclave packaging for reusable tins that can be autoclaved . Surgical kits can be either wrapped in a drape before being placed into the tin , or the loose instruments can be placed directly into the tin before being autoclaved . Autoclave tins can be washed and reused continuously , without the need for replacement . They are available from consumable suppliers such as Vet Direct .
Autoclave pouches consist of single-use plastics as well as paper . If the switch to autoclave tins is not possible , it may be worth looking at segregating used autoclave pouches by separating the plastic and paper sections and disposing of them accordingly .
Volume 38 ( 3 ) • June 2023
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