New recycling arrangements explained
Our environmental manager Sid Siddiqui has shared these instructions for recycling and waste disposal across DCHS, following new regulations coming into force in April this year, requiring waste to be separated into five main categories. The main difference for us is that food waste must not be mixed with other waste.
Food waste: This includes food waste from the processing or preparation of food, including inedible food parts such as bones, eggshells, fruit and vegetable skins, tea bags and coffee grounds. All food waste shall be placed into lined food caddies. A few Q and As to help you get to grips with it:
Q. Will food caddies be placed in DCHS premises?
A. At present these are placed in hospital and ward kitchens. Elsewhere these will be supplied later. These are for disposing of food waste internally. External waste bins are in process of being delivered.
Q. Please could you also clarify where food caddies can be found on our sites and if teams can request them if they haven’t got one?
A. Staff kitchenettes and areas where they sit and have their breaks. Requests to have these should be made to cleaning supervisors/hotel services.
Q. Is this requirement to recycle food waste the main difference that staff should take note of with these recycling arrangements?
A. Yes, the food waste must not be mixed with any other waste. It should be placed in food caddies, lined with clear plastic bags.
The other four recycling categories are:
- Dry mixed recyclables (metal, plastic, paper and card: this is already widely recycled across the trust and arrangements remain the same.
- Glass waste: All non-medicinal glass should be collected and disposed of separately. All hospital sites have dedicated waste bins for glass waste.
- Cardboard packaging & paper: Large producers of cardboard waste, such as hospitals and some health centres, already segregate this waste into separate bins. Small amount of cardboard can be placed into Dry Mixed Recyclables bins.
- Non-recyclable: All other non-recyclable waste, such as used paper hand towels, foil backed packaging and textile products should be placed in a black bag.