No more plastic bottles
As one of our new environmental initiatives, the Mater will commence phasing out bottled water from all patient wards in July 2011. Bottled water will be replaced with stainless steel jugs and glasses. The Mater is committed to improving quality of life for all and living within the earth's limits, the phasing out of plastic bottles is a positive step in reducing our environmental footprint.
National Recycling Week Champion
Creating healing and sustainable environments, Cathy Macknight, Infection Control Consultant at the Mater Hospital, was awarded the title of ‘National Recycling Week Champion’ from St Vincents & Mater Health Sydney. The award recognises Cathy’s efforts in trialling a recovery program in theatres.
The program’s success is evident in the results with the following recovered as of October 2010:
- 1803 kilograms of medical grade plastic.
- 921 kilograms of endomechanical devices.
- 105 kilograms of kimguard sterile wrap.
Suitable theatre items – including single use endomechanical instruments, medical metals such as pins, plates and single use scissors, medical grade plastics like kidney dishes and bowls, other plastic items that arrive in custom packs, IV bags, endomechanical plastic packing and kimguard sterile wrap - are now recovered rather than being sent to landfill for incineration.
