Ipswich: Sackers finds clear solution to boosting hospital’s recycling

SUFFOLK recycling company Sackers is helping Ipswich Hospital to reduce its costs and help the environment.

A new “co-mingled” waste recycling service has been launched at the hospital in a bid to ensure that anything which can be recycled is recycled.

It is based on the use of clear plastic sacks, rather than black plastic sacks which are now used only for food and non-recyclable waste, so that it is easier both for hospital staff and visitors to deposit waste for recycling and for Sackers’ staff to identity recyclable waste

The clear sacks are taken to Sackers’ waste sorting facility at Needham Market, so increasing the volume of waste recycled and reducing the hospital’s charges for landfill.

Nigel Slinn, commercial director at Sackers, said: “We have worked closely with Ipswich Hospital who were keen to reduce costs and of course recycle more, so we suggested that black bags should not be used for everything and should be removed from as many areas and wards as possible, using black bags only for food wastes and wastes that cannot be recycled.

“Therefore most black bags have been replaced with clear bags which enables Sackers to identify recyclable wastes and makes it easy for staff and visitors while at the Hospital.

“We’ll take them off their hands and process them at our Needham Market waste sorting facility. It diverts more away from landfill, ups the Hospital’s recycling rates, and from a cost point of view, saves Ipswich Hospital money on landfill charges.”

Jeff Calver, Ipswich Hospital’s associate director of estates, said: “We are committed to caring for the environment and reducing our carbon footprint and this project has proved how we can all make simple changes which make big differences.”