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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Paper

By: Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

A reduction in paper use by 75%

£139.36 (Estimated)

109 kg CO2e (Estimated)

Countess of Chester Hospital Dialysis Unit has tried to reduce the amount of paper used through a 'Reduce, Reuse and Recycle' Programme.

 

Results of Local Changes

  • Since paper copies of blood results have been stopped from Pathology it has been calculated we will save a minimum of 3344 sheets of paper per annum (projected).
  • All printers within the unit have been defaulted to print double sided by our IT team.
  • Patient paper care plans have been reduced from 14 pages to 6, a reduction of 51%.
  • Staff and patient education and encouragement to recycle successfully measured by the recycling pick up needing to increase from once every 2 weeks to twice per week.
  • Overall paper consumption reduced from approximately 10,000 sheets to 2,500 sheets every 8 weeks, a reduction of 75%. With forecasted financial benefits of paper costs from £187.20 to £47.84 per annum giving a saving of £139.36.

Carbon savings (section updated November 2012)

£139.36 x 0.78 kg CO2e * / £ = 109 kg CO2e

* emissions factor for supply of paper products, 2012 Guidelines to DEFRA/DECC Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors for Company Reporting, Annex 13

How To Guide:

Reduce

  • Stop all paper copies of blood results as located within the IT system.
  • Double side all printed documents.
  • Reduce paper care plan to essential information only.

Reuse

  • Implement a scrap paper A5 file to be used , for example telephone call messages, to do lists food orders.
  • Any non confidential paper waste to be used for scrap paper.

Recycle

  • Ensure recycling bins are located within the renal unit.
  • Patient education to encourage recycling of newspapers read on the unit.
  • Ensure all paper waste is deposited in the recycle bins provided within the unit.

The Countess of Chester Hospital, Liverpool Road, Chester, Cheshire, CH21UL

To reduce paper waste

ongoing
Libby Critchley, elizabeth.critchley@coch.nhs.uk, 01244 365000 ext. 5705/4