Healthcare plastics have unique potential to be part of the Circular Economy movement, where nothing is lost or wasted and all resources are utilized to their highest potential, delivering better system-wide economic and environmental outcomes. HPRC's mission is to collaborate across the value chain to inspire and enable the healthcare community to implement viable, safe, and cost-effective solutions for plastics products and packaging. This presentation was from the March 2017 Medical Plastics Conference in Brussels. Learn more at hprc.org.

1. Dominika Domanska |8th March 2017
Medical Plastics Conference

2. © Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council | European Chapter
What We Aspire To Do
2
Vision
All healthcare plastics are widely used as a valuable resource in the Circular
Economy.
Mission
Collaborate across the value chain to inspire and enable the healthcare
community to implement viable, safe, and cost-effective Circular Economy
solutions for plastics products and packaging.
Circular Economy Aligned
Healthcare plastics have unique
potential to be part of the Circular
Economy movement, where
nothing is lost or wasted and all
resources are utilized to their
highest potential, delivering better
system-wide economic and
environmental outcomes.

3. © Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council | European Chapter
Circular Economy as
a Value Chain Approach
3
A Value Chain Approach
…inspire and enable…
In Healthcare

4. © Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council | European Chapter
High Quality Materials …
PP PP, PET, PETG, PS
PP or PVC“Blue Wrap” PP
PP, PET, HDPE
Tyvek® (HDPE) with PP Tray

5. © Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council | European Chapter
The Healthcare Plastics
Product – Packaging Value Chain
5

6. © Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council | European Chapter
Europe Members
(Just Getting Started)
6
Reaching out to…

7. © Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council | European Chapter
Focus Areas to start with …
7
• Create principles of CE for health care
• Identify macro trends and possible impacts
• Create demand / market to create value
• Identify areas of opportunity in hospitals for collection
• Create a coalition for CE solutions, identify stakeholders
• Develop education / training tools
Dialogue
Toolbox
Facts & Figures
Product Design
• Analyze material flows and compositions to
identify hotspots
• Create / Review LCA Case for plastic recycling
• Identify plastic products for recycled
material in hospitals
• Develop a business case on plastics
recycling
• Find opportunities in packaging / product
for recycled content
• Develop case studies as proof points

8. www.hprc.orgFor More Information:
Dominika Domanska
ddomans@its.jnj.com
+32 (0) 746 31 49

9. Tekchnical Department
The Medical Plastics Conference
Brussels 7-8 March 2017
Enabling Circular Solutions in Healthcare Plastics
-Insights from Aarhus University Hospital
Susanne Backer
CE Project Manager

10. 1. Indlæg
Technical Department
Aarhus University Hospital
•Clinical departments: 44
•Number of beds: 1.150
•Staff: 9.400 FTEs
•Annual activities:
•833.655 out-patients visits
• 41.730 emergency visits
•100.817 discharges
• 81.125 surgeries
• 44.600 endoscopies
• 4.647 births
Aarhus Universityhospital

11. Waste at Aarhus University Hospital
2016:
• Approx. 3.300 t/y
• 20% Recycled
• 79% Waste to energy
• 1% Landfill
2030:
• t/y - Constant
• 70% Recycled
• 29% Waste to energy
• 1% Landfill

12. Project Aims
• To increase recycling and Circular Economy of
hospital plastic packaging waste.
• To Develop and test a value chain model for
creation of commercial and other kinds of value
out of hospital plastic packaging waste in
cooperation with stakeholders.

13. Circular Economy (CE) – ’The Butterfly Model’ by EMF

14. Recycling and Circular Economy (CE) at AUH

15. Recycling and Circular Economy (CE)
Level of CE AUH plastic
waste packaging
AUH/CR
Possibilities for
action
Waste
Prevention/sharin
g
3 layers of
packaging for
sterile equipment
Single/multiuse
Logisitics
Type and quality of
Packaging?
Design of
packaging?
Bio degradeable
packaging?
Maintain/prolong Sterile packaging
Virgin materials
?
Re-use, re-
distribute
Containers for
fluids
Dialogue with
suppliers about
deposit system?
Refurbish/
Re-manufacture
Sterile packaging
Virgin materials
?
Recycle Mixed fraction
Partly recycable
Clinical sorting
Clinical sorting
Logistics
Design criteria?
?

16. Results - Clinical Sorting November 2016
Plastic (kg)1 Solid waste/
day/including
plastic (kg.)
Plastic part
of solid
waste
(%)
Patient ward -child 2.0 n.a. n.a.
Patient ward -heart 0.5 n.a. n.a.
Patient ward -lung 0.7 n.a. n.a.
Patient wards total 4.2 n.a. n.a.
Operations Dep. 1 10 64 15%
Operations Dep. 2 30 197 15%
Operations Dep. 3 20 131 15%
Operations Dept. 59 392 15%
Pharmacy 7 19 34%
Intensive preperations 17 54 32%
Radiology 3 32 9%
Auxilliary total 27 105 25%

17. Plastic Packaging – a Complex Fraction
Unknown plastic type LDPE (4)
Other plastic types (7) Thick shrink plastic (PA+PP+EVOH)
PE+PET Thick shrink plastic (PP+HDPE)
PET (1) LLDPE (stretch film)
PP (5) PA+PE
Tyvek (PE+EVA) PS (6)
Ethylene Vinyl Copolymer Soft HDPE (2)
Thin HDPE (crackling disposable bags) HDPE (2)
EPS (6)

18. Clinical Sorting - by types of packaging
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Blue wraps Other types
of soft
plastic
Header
bags (soft
plastic)
Peel packs
(soft
plastic)
Shrink
plastic (soft
plastic)
Films Containers
(hard
plastic)
Moulded
(hard
plastic)
kg/48hours
LDPE (4) Other plastic (7)
Thick shrink plastic (PA+PP+EVOH) PE+PET
Thick shrink plastic (PP+HDPE) PET (1)
LLDPE (stretch film) PP (5)
PA+PE Tyvek (PE+EVA)
PS (6) Ethylene Vinyl Copolymer
Soft HDPE (2) Thin HDPE (crackling disposable bags)
HDPE (2) EPS (6)
Unknown plastic type

19. ’Suppliers of Plastic Packaging Waste’
500 kgs of solid waste
90 kgs of plastic packaging
45 kgs with supplier name
=
162 different suppliers!!

20. Preliminary recommendations:
1. Mark all plastic packaging for recycling
2. Reduce the numbers of polymers
3. Give preference to recycables
4. Think re-circulation of ressources

21. Tekchnical Department
INVITATION
24 -25April 2017
CE Value Chain Workshop
Plastic Packaging for the Health Sector
Aarhus University Hospital
Contact: Susanne Backer
suback@rm.dk
++45 40328360