Written question WQ94421
- Asked by
- Andrew RT DaviesConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 3 days
Question
What steps is the Welsh Government taking to reduce healthcare waste in Wales?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
The NHS Wales Decarbonisation Strategic Delivery Plan, which was launched in 2021, included specific initiatives to reduce healthcare waste.
General waste products are treated like household waste and can be segregated for recycling. Such waste is subject to the Workplace Recycling (Wales) Regulations.
Other healthcare waste streams are highly regulated, including clinical waste. An all-Wales clinical waste contract manages the collection and disposal of all clinical waste. Some clinical waste must be incinerated but around 70% undergoes a steam sterilization process, which results in a residual waste material which can then be used as a refuse-derived fuel, thus avoiding landfill.