Reusables at MUMC+ hospital

In a hospital, sustainability quickly becomes about reducing waste. Part of the Green Deal, the government’s agreements with the sector on sustainability, is therefore betting on reuse. Among other things, by replacing disposable products with a washable alternative. Jordy Stassen from MUMC shares his experiences with Nedlin reusables.

Which reusables are you using?
Jordy Stassen, Logistics and Waste Management Team Leader: “We recently started using the green isolation gowns for the ER, which is the first department to be converted. If that goes well, we will convert the other departments too. Heated gowns are on order for the OR.”

How does that work?
“As a hospital, we have signed the Green Deal. Our 12 Green Teams are always looking to improve sustainability, including in terms of products. Which can we convert to a sustainable alternative? Nedlin helped us identify the best opportunities, namely the isolation gowns and heated gowns. We also intend to organise pilots with surgical caps and other products. If a pilot is successful, we will implement such products in other departments.”

Which challenges do you face?
“The switch to reusables often stagnates internally. Departments order their disposables themselves. If they switch to reusables, money has to be transferred from e.g. the OR to the logistics department. That takes longer.”

How do you make reusables a success?
“Communication is very important. Make sure products are used properly and do not end up in the garbage. Depreciation has to happen at Nedlin, not in the department. Otherwise we will quickly run short and it will no longer be sustainable. Not everyone wants to go along with this development. Some colleagues simply find disposables convenient. The people from the Green Teams are our ambassadors in the department for this.”

How sustainable are you beyond that? 
“We are very actively working on sustainability. There are projects running throughout the whole hospital, from waste recycling to reducing food waste. Within 5 years, we want to be recycling 50% of our waste. To do this, we not only look at the waste itself, but also at the process before that. We are now around 30%, above average. But we still have a long way to go.”

Do you have any tips for other organisations?
“Don’t do everything all at once, but do a few things well. Then move to the next thing. Before you can deploy reusables, things like logistics need to be in order. Sometimes measures are at odds with each other. If you decide to print less, there is less paper to recycle, so the recycling rate goes down. Then you are doing the right thing, but the numbers don’t reflect that.''