CIRHECA-MR

Hospitals use a lot of plastic and therefore generate a lot of plastic waste. This plastic is currently not recycled but incinerated, which is bad for the environment. There are more than 50 hospitals in the Meuse-Rhine region, which together produce almost 38,000 tonnes of plastic waste every year.   

The company SABIC has devised a way to recycle this medical plastic waste. However, this requires a large amount of waste, more than a few hospitals can provide on their own. That is why it is important for hospitals from different countries to work together. 

The CIRHECA project is helping with this. In this project, four hospitals and SABIC are working together to set up a new way of collecting, sorting and storing plastic waste. Transport companies ensure that the waste is delivered to SABIC. The recycling process at SABIC is also being improved so that the waste can be processed properly. This project will reduce the amount of medical waste incinerated and make the region greener and more sustainable. The agreements and lessons learned from CIRHECA can also be adopted by other hospitals in the future.