Material management solutions firm Bywaters has received commendations at the NHS Sustainability Awards, held on 17 May at Imperial College, South Kensington.
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust was highly commended for making significant savings through recycling and sustainability initiatives in the Finance category – working in partnership with Bywaters. And Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, another Bywaters customer, was shortlisted as a finalist in the Reuse category.
The awards are a welcome acknowledgement of Bywaters’ contributions in supporting two of its customers, Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital (GOSH) and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, both of which were finalists in prestigious NHS Sustainability Awards.
GOSH has significantly reduced the tonnage of bulk waste and waste electrical materials (WEEE) being disposed of every month, through innovative means. Now, working with Bywaters’ account and sustainability managers, a significant number of good quality, unwanted items are being recycled to a network of charities through the use of an innovative recycling mobile app. It is envisaged that GOSH will save up to £20,000 per annum on disposal costs whilst helping charities such as The Salvation Army, EMMAUS, The Foodchain, CTR Europe and Groundwork, amongst many others. Multiple initiatives ensure that all GOSH’s waste streams are managed safely and efficiently.
Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust manages over 5,000 tonnes of waste per annum from its two busy London hospitals. Bywaters has been working with the Trust to help it cut costs by reducing overall waste, correcting material segregation and maximising recycling rates. Today the Trust’s 15,000+ staff receive ongoing training in responsible waste management and are aware of their personal impact on the environment. These messages are endorsed via news updates, reward programmes and signage.
Bywaters has also introduced an on-site weigh-bridge system that acts as a real-time auditing tool. Bar-coded bins reveal which wards generate high levels of waste so that waste managers can take steps to maximise recycling rates without diluting service quality, efficiency and compliance. Strategic bin placements throughout the wards have seen an increase in recycling diverted each month from circa 80 tonnes per month.
As a result of these, and other initiatives, the Trust received a 91% score on the Carbon Trust Waste Standard – the highest score ever achieved in both the private and public sectors. Reducing waste and increasing cost savings is high on the Trust’s agenda with the 14 different Directorates each being targeted with £10,000 of savings.
Bywaters Head of Health & Sustainability, Ed van Reenen, presented the award in the Waste Category for which the business is the official Awards partner, and reflected on the inspirational and tangible sustainability projects all in the room were delivering. He offered congratulations to Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust which won the award in this sponsored category.
