Hospital Based Recycling – What’s in place already?

To get a sense of the waste management systems already in place, our client provided us with a small presentation that outlined CTMUHB’s approach, as well as an insight into what legal requirements and guidelines are currently in place.

The bagged waste system currently in place is as follows:

• ORANGE Bag – Infectious Waste ONLY (Blood Swabs, Dressings)
• TIGER Bag – Hygiene Waste ONLY (Non-infectious medical waste)
• BLACK Bag – Municipal Waste (Non-recyclable domestic waste)
• CLEAR Bag – Recyclable Waste

Lidded bins are used to dispose of sharp objects. The system in place for those is as follows:

• ORANGE Lidded Bin – Sharps not contaminated with medicines
• YELLOW Lidded Bin – Sharps contaminated with medicines.
• PURPLE Lidded Bin – Cytotoxic or Cytostatic drugs and medicine, as well as waste contaminated with these (drugs used to destroy cancer cells)
• BLUE Lidded Bin – Out of date non-hazardous waste or pharmacy returns
• RED Lidded Bin – Anatomical waste

As well as these bins, cardboard containers are used to dispose of sealed fluid units.

Fracture clinic casts and dental moulds also need to be separated as these can no longer be disposed into landfills due to dangerous chemical reactions. These are placed into gypsum waste containers.

The above information is vital as if it is not adhered to, legal enforcement can take place. However, it is definitely a lot to take in, especially for staff at CTMUHB who will be under a lot of stress and pressure. This is why a clear communication system is needed.

CTMUHB also provided us with some examples of the visual elements they use in order to enforce their waste management system. These are the labels placed on the bins:

At a first glance, these labels appear cluttered and confusing – it would take a lot of effort to distinguish what goes where, especially with those unaware or new to the system. The visual hierarchy and layout of text elements isn’t optimised, and there is a notable lack of iconography that would greatly reduce the effort needed into separating waste. These labels are one of the things I aim to redesign to be concise and easy to understand at a glance.

As well as these labels, we were also provided with an example of the waste segregation poster on display throughout CTMUHB. This poster’s goal is to instruct and remind staff on the waste management system in a clear and concise way.

Whilst the poster does demonstrate the correct information, it displays it in a way that is hard to visualise and remember. The poster is cluttered and fails to be visually stimulating, thus reducing its effectiveness. This would be another item I aim to redesign in order to be more effective at delivering the information needed.