How is the Welsh Government working with health boards in Wales to reduce hospital waste?
Health Boards are responsible for the collection and disposal of all types of waste from hospital sites. All Health Boards are required to have a waste policy in place in line with legislative requirements set out in Welsh Health Technical Memorandum (WHTM) 01-07 Safe Management of Healthcare Waste.
In addition, the NHS Wales Decarbonisation Strategic Delivery Plan sets out ambitious commitments for all NHS Organisations to reduce emissions, including by tackling waste. This includes Welsh Government working with Health Boards to support the circular economy and to recycle and re-use items and equipment across NHS Wales as far as possible. This has included trials on reusable sharps boxes, repair and reuse of mobility aids and local recycling initiatives linked to cardboard recycling.