We all know that the medical industry is wasteful and some of this is borne out of necessity in that we simply cannot use the same items between patients. This is to maintain sterility, or to prevent cross-infection, and because a lot of the items we use simply aren’t made for multiple uses.
This began to really bug us, and we decided to take some action and make our clinic greener by making some different choices. We hope that by taking little steps we can make some bigger changes and reduce plastic landfill, reduce production of new consumables and also reduce transport miles. Because we feel if everyone made small changes in the right direction, bigger change could be made for our future generations.
Some changes cost more to implement and sustain, and some just mean changing habits but at NEVS we feel that sustainability has never been more important and everyone should think bigger and make the changes that could change the world (even if it’s just a little bit!).
Follow Robbo through the clinic as he gives a thumbs up to some of the choices we have made to reduce our impact on the planet!
Dispensing of Medications: While we do have regulations on how we can dispense some medications, we are utilising recycled paper wherever possible to reduce plastic use. Paper is sustainable, recyclable and biodegradable – all things that plastic isn’t.
Sorting Recyclable Items: We actively recycle everything we can from paper and cardboard, to food tins, to plastics and sort these into their respective bins so that they can be recycled. It’s definitely easier, when really busy, to just throw everything in the one bin but we have made a decision to make the effort to recycle as much as we can.
Choosing Sustainable Cleaning Options: We choose to use Australian brands of cleaning products that are not only environmentally friendly, but have no single use plastic AND fund ocean cleanups! Who doesn’t win from this?? PS they also smell wonderful and are much kinder to our patient’s noses.
Making our own re-usable items: Some items are designed for single use and we think that’s a bit silly. Luckily we have a VERY talented nurse who makes us reusable items that are washed between patients. Why choose plastic when fabric will do even better and can be re-used again, and again! Here is Robbo with some fabric warm air circulating mats. We are also introducing fabric soft e-collars and O-tube collars.
The little things: We recently changed our sharps disposal provider not because they were cheaper, but because they don’t burn the plastic bin with the sharps – it goes for recycling! We know that burning plastic creates lots of nasty chemicals so we chose a more environmentally friendly option!
Biodegradable Puppy Pads: We use a lot of puppy pads for catching messes in clinic, and don’t get us wrong – they’re super handy! But they are plastic backed and that’s a lot of waste going into landfill that made us feel awful. So we found, and switched to a biodegradable option that does just as good of a job, but doesn’t put plastic in the ground!
Recycled (and recyclable!) E-Collars: We choose to utilise e-collars that have been made from recycled ocean plastic, and are 100% recyclable themselves! Every little bit helps!
Reusable Surgical Boxes and Drapes: This one is a little behind-the-scenes but we choose to utilise reusable options in surgery, rather than disposable. While plastic disposable drapes and kit wraps are available, we choose to invest in sustainable options such as autoclavable surgical boxes and fabric drapes to reduce landfill. Just as safe for our patients, but a more environmentally conscious choice
Native Clinic Gardens: NEVS has made the decision to utilise native species in their new clinic gardens to encourage insects and provide shelter and food for native species. As well as providing a relaxing outlook from the hospital wards, we hope to help our native species be they possum, bird, lizard or insect. Many thanks to the Armidale Tree Group for their support in making our gardens happen!
Photo by Brian Cook: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-eastern-spinebill-bird-18621016
We hope that by changing the way we do things, where we can safely do so without compromising patient safety or standards we can make some positive change to the world, because this is something we all feel is just so important. So if you are looking for a veterinary clinic who thinks beyond the four walls around them then we might just be the clinic you are looking for!
