Zero Waste SA Industry Program

The Royal has Leadership in hospital demonstrated outstanding leadership in the areas of sustainable waste and recycling practices. This is a result of waste management a number of factors including passionate leaders… and a specific Reducing the ecological footprint of a large In many ways the Royal Adelaide Hospital waste management committee public hospital takes strong leadership, faces environmental hurdles on a scale comprising all the relevant solid teamwork and good communication. similar to a small town – and arguably stakeholders. more complex. The Royal Adelaide Hospital demonstrated Mark Rawson all three in a large-scale environmental ’s largest Principal program that has dramatically cut the has acute-care beds for 650 patients, Rawtec – Waste, Recycling and amount of general and organic waste it employs more than 4100 full-time and Sustainability Management Consultants it sends to landfill. casual staff, and it is home to over 300 residential medical students. The RAH has now become a model for green programming in across Every year the RAH deals with more than South Australia and interstate after 50,000 emergencies, it caters for about showing that sustainability is an achievable 400,000 outpatient visits and countless goal in even the most challenging work other visitors walk through the doors. environments. Patients are being treated around the clock, many need intensive care and they all need feeding. In a large organisation like a hospital it’s important not to Sustainability objectives Zero Waste SA support make recycling too complicated. A systematic approach to improving • North Terrace Sustainability Precinct If you make it easy for people recycling and reducing waste to landfill in waste recycling performance review it’s more likely to work. a complex hospital work environment. • advice on new recycling initiatives Pat Rossi Client Service Officer • development of a case study Royal Adelaide Hospital Annual savings 600 tonnes of waste is recycled by the RAH every year including: Precinct promotes • 218 tonnes of kitchen food waste sustainability THE MOVE TOWARDS • 364 tonnes of paper and cardboard The Royal Adelaide Hospital is one of six ZERO WASTE South Australian Government sites that are • 832 bales of plastic Planning and coordinating a part of the North Terrace Sustainability Precinct overseen by Zero Waste SA. sustainability program in such an • 37,440L of co-mingled environment is a huge task. But The aim of the precinct is to drive new the resolve of a few dedicated staff • 4000 fluorescent tubes sustainability initiatives and identify and the commitment of a waste impediments to improvements and common management committee with • 1300 toner cartridges. issues across the sites. membership across the hospital has produced some startling results. Other members of the precinct include the Outcomes State Library, Art Gallery of South Australia, Since 2007 the RAH has managed ArtLab, and to increase recycling to 40% of total • leadership in waste management Government House. waste produced through initiatives that include turning leftover food into • proven collaborative approach in A sustainability review of the precinct compost. New measures continue to complex work environment funded by Zero Waste SA in July 2009 be implemented as the hospital moves reported that the RAH had demonstrated closer to a zero waste operation. • extensive recycling minimises waste outstanding leadership in the areas of to landfill sustainable waste and recycling practices. At the same time changes have been made to reduce water and energy • carbon emissions substantially reduced “This is a result of a number of factors consumption in a hospital-wide including passionate leaders from the RAH program that values the importance • extensive staff training and support and a specific waste management committee of sustainability in all areas. comprising all the relevant stakeholders,” • best practice model in sustainability said the report. Additional support is now being for other hospitals provided by Zero Waste SA as green “Of particular note is the high recycling initiatives introduced by RAH are achieved by the Royal Adelaide Hospital adopted by other hospitals throughout from a highly complex site.” the Central Northern Adelaide Health Service as part of standard policy. “In a large organisation like a hospital Recycling of multiple waste streams in each The making of a it’s important not to make recycling too ward and department is now an accepted green champion complicated. If you make it easy for people part of work activities and there is a high it’s more likely to work.” level of compliance. Patient care is the clear number one priority for any hospital where questions Recycling bins were labelled, leaflets sent Food waste has recently been added to of sustainability tend to be a side issue. out to staff and training organised with the growing recycling and recovery list the help of the waste contractor to with organic bins in wards and residential There are numerous wards and medical minimise contamination. kitchens. This is collected by a garden supply departments, support services and company and turned into compost. administrative offices and each make their “These regular meetings were the only own individual contribution to the smooth way I could get the message across and to Bin and collection systems are also in place running of the hospital. overcome some initial resistance,” says Pat. for the separation of numerous other waste streams including co-mingled cans, cartons, They also each create their own waste – bottles, paper and cardboard, medical and in a hospital the size of the RAH that Committee waste, printer cartridges, batteries, hard adds up to a significant amount. In such a waste, confidential documents for shredding, large, complex organisation the simplest drives coordinated fluorescent tubes, plastics, wooden pallets, disposal option is landfill – and that’s where polystyrene and garden waste. it all used to end up. recycling program Even metals from old equipment is salvaged That is until Client Service Officer Pat Rossi In 2004 when the State Government and collected every fortnight. The hospital’s started exploring other options in the introduced a 10-year target for reducing General Services Division continues to early 1990s. government waste to landfill by 25% under monitor all recycling streams and conducts its Strategic Plan objectives, a culture Pat was ideally suited for the role of green audits to ensure correct waste management of recycling was already taking hold at champion. She started work at the RAH procedures are followed. the hospital. in 1981 in the cleaning services division and Another major improvement has been the eventually became manager, a role which The next critical step was the establishment creation of centralised recycling facility took her to all parts of the hospital where of a Waste Management Committee in May within the hospital grounds for the storage she made numerous contacts. 2007 to introduce new recycling ideas and and collection of the various waste streams. oversee implementation. “I organised meetings with the nursing The overall results have been so impressive managers to work out what could be Diverse representation from various that the RAH regularly receives enquiries recycled,” says Pat. “We started off with hospital departments and inclusion of the from interstate and overseas hospitals trying paper and cardboard and then moved on waste and cleaning contractors meant to emulate its success. But even though to glass. the committee could provide coordinated great progress has been made, the hospital leadership in tackling waste management. still sees zero waste as its ultimate target – As the green program developed, more and that appears close to being realised. people wanted to be involved. Theatre staff, for example, formed their own recycling team to provide feedback for the main committee’s quarterly meetings. “We are thrilled with the recycling benefits Pat Rossi Bin tracking system as well as the reduction in walking miles Client Service Officer Pat Rossi’s persistence and dogmatic and staff handling,” says Chief Food Services Royal Adelaide Hospital approach started to pay dividends. Manager Wendy Lewis. “Not only is this a 8222 5200 [email protected] sustainable solution but it eliminates issues She became the ‘bin detective’ and such as smell.” Sharon Ede established an internal tracking system Senior Adviser, Industry Sustainability to ensure the correct bins were being used The hospital estimates the food waste 8204 2111 for recycling. vacuum system is diverting about 4.2 tonnes [email protected] of organic material from sewage every week. Bins were tagged and the waste Dianne Holman contractor would alert Pat if there was In addition, new energy efficient dishwash Senior Adviser, Industry Sustainability any contamination. These would then be machines that use minimal water have 8204 1961 photographed and the section manager been installed along with a plastics pulper [email protected] informed. for processing drink cartons and food www.zerowaste.sa.gov.au containers that are contaminated and Level 8, Statewide House “This was all part of the education cannot be recycled. 99 Gawler Place process and meant we could brief staff Adelaide SA 5001 of their mistakes in a very visual way,” The plastics are pulped into dry waste and says Pat. “Information was put on the their volume reduced by about 80 per cent Published April 2012 • FIS 91392 staff noticeboard to remind them of the to minimise their impact on landfill. correct procedure.” Now that food is being removed from general waste – the materials left over Energy and water saving after recycling – the remainder can be used for burning as an alternative fuel source. initiatives Royal Adelaide Hospital Trials are currently being held to reach Steps to reduce energy and water usage are Founded in 1840, the Royal Adelaide this final stage. also a priority at the Royal Adelaide Hospital Hospital is South Australia’s largest although budgetary constraints and lack of accredited teaching hospital and a centre space have limited progress to some degree. for medical and research excellence. New kitchen system Lighting – In the mid 1990s a business In addition to the 650-bed acute care management system was installed to hospital on North Terrace, the RAH also eliminates food waste conserve energy by automatically switching includes the Hampstead Rehabilitation The Royal Adelaide Hospital provides food off lights in different parts of the building. Centre at Northfield. The RAH employs catering on a major scale. The hospital’s more than 4100 full-time and casual staff main kitchen produces 2000 meals a day Water heating – Gradual replacement and houses about 300 residential medical for its own patients plus another 820 meals of large hot water tanks with instantaneous students. for associated hospitals and health facilities. water heaters that use much less energy. www.rah.sa.gov.au Under the old system large amounts of That adds up to a huge amount of food and water was heated and not used. lot of waste. Water savings – As old plumbing Zero Waste SA To keep production scraps and leftovers equipment wears out it is being replaced out of the waste stream, in 2009 the A South Australian Government agency by water saving devices: hospital invested in a special vacuum that advances improved waste management processing system in the main kitchen as • all new shower heads have flow policies and the development of resource part of a new integrated environmental restrictors recovery and recycling. The Zero Waste SA management system. Industry Program advises and supports • flushometer valves in toilets companies to achieve sustainability goals Three collecting stations have been installed • automatic timers for switching off taps in waste, water and energy. in the preparation and dishwash areas from which all food waste is transferred • signage in staff and residential showers www.zerowaste.sa.gov.au to a grinding machine. A small amount of to save water. water is added and the resulting liquid mass Rainwater catchment is not an option is stored in a 7000L tank for weekly or because of a lack of space for storage. twice-weekly collection. A garden supply company then turns it into compost.