Rockingham General Hospital Emergency Department leading the sustainability charge
Clinical Nurse Melissa Williams
From efficient recycling, reducing waste and printing, Green Ambassadors are driving sustainability initiatives in the Rockingham General Hospital (RGH) Emergency Department (ED).
It started in 2021 with Clinical Nurse Melissa Williams signing on as a South Metropolitan Health Service (SMHS) Green Ambassador and leading the change to swap single use plastics for more sustainable alternatives in line with the State Government’s Plan for Plastics.
“We got rid of plastic straws, pill pots, cups and cutlery in ED. There were some who resisted the change but eventually the sustainable products took over and now nobody looks back,” Melissa said.
The next stop was improving recycling in the ED, introducing recycling buckets for syringes, batteries, single use metal instruments and PVC.
“Education was also needed to bust some myths around recycling and to ensure waste was sorted correctly,” she said.
“To make it as easy as possible in a busy ED environment, I implemented a two-tray system. Staff were educated to put their recycling into these trays during their shift and then dispose of them into the bigger bins at the end of their shift, which has reduced the time spent on sorting recycling.”
There is also a focus on reducing the large volumes of printing and paper use in the department, with staff encouraged to think before they print, to preview before printing to avoid waste, and printing double-sided.
Expanding the ED Green Team is next on the agenda along with a list of ideas to further improve the sustainability of the ED.
“Our next targets will be more sustainable gloves and aprons, along with soft plastic recycling. There is a lot of work to do but we have a small and dedicated team committed to making a difference,” Melissa said.
Read more about how SMHS is driving opportunities to reduce its environmental impact.
