A national industry body has recognised MITIE and University College London (UCL) for their ground breaking approach to clinical waste management in the university’s 23 laboratories, saving 18% in disposal cost per tonne and reducing carbon emission per tonne by 27%.
MITIE won the award for innovative practice in Waste Management and Resource Recovery at the 2011 Environmental Excellence Awards, hosted by the Chartered Institution of Waste Management (CIWM) last week. The award is the most coveted at the ceremony, as it recognises trend setters in the industry, working in new innovative ways to manage waste.
In an industry first, the FTSE 250 strategic outsourcing and energy services company diverted auto-claved clinical waste from High Temperature Incineration (HTI) to Energy-from-Waste treatment, setting the latest in best practice on safe management of healthcare waste.
It is estimated that the NHS disposes of approximately 250,000 tonnes of clinical waste a year –1,000 times the amount of clinical waste generated by UCL – costing the tax payer an estimated £90m a year.
Mike Taylor, Managing Director of MITIE’s waste and environmental business, said: “This award demonstrates how MITIE working in partnership with our clients can deliver significant results in terms of cost savings and reduced environmental impact through best practice.
I believe that the replication of this innovative approach could generate significant emission reduction and cost savings for the NHS.”
Paul Monk, waste contract manager at UCL said: “This is a fitting reward for the progress that has been achieved in the last three years and demonstrates that by engaging with the University’s community, real environmental benefits and cost savings can be achieved.
It will encourage other universities to look at their laboratory waste and to do the same.”