Waste management and reduction

For more than thirty years the HUG have set up the infrastructure to encourage sorting and recycling, and regularly carry out awareness-raising activities.

Hospital activities generate nearly 5,400 tonnes of waste of various kinds, much of which is recyclable. Aware of this, the institution is working to increase recycling and reduce waste production as much as possible, particularly through the eco-points set up since 2013 and the increase in recycling channels. Various waste reduction projects are implemented each year. In 2022, for example, the elimination of plastic bed covers saved than 8,500 kg of plastic.

Since 2022, at the subaquatic and hyperbaric medicine department, the plastic tubes necessary for hyperbaric therapies are no longer discarded and replaced daily. This change in practice has saved 105 kg of plastic in just two months.

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Among the common wastes generated by the HUG, 2,288 tonnes were waste intended for incineration and 1,846 tonnes were recyclable waste. The most recycled wastes are paper and cardboard (600 tonnes) followed by food waste (473 tonnes).

Management of unsold food

Any unsold food that can still be consumed is given to the Geneva food bank Partage. Two other partnerships have been established with Too Good to Go Switzerland (1306 baskets in 2022) and with the association La Farce, which runs a grocery shop that distributes food free of charge to students in need at Geneva's universities.

A portion of the waste generated by healthcare activities requires specific packaging and traceability. In 2021, the installation of new containers and increased awareness among all healthcare personnel have improved the packaging and logistics of medical waste collection. Thanks to these measures, an improvement in the management of medical waste collection has been observed. The initiated actions are bearing fruit. In 2022, the tonnage of waste collected in medical waste decreased (from 518 tonnes in 2021 to 396 tonnes in 2022) with a corollary increase in the number of waste incinerated, which maintains the waste recycling rate at 45%.

Medical waste management

Some of the waste related to healthcare activities requires specific packaging and traceability. The installation of new containers and increased awareness among all medical and nursing staff have made it possible to improve the packaging and collection logistics for this medical waste. Thanks to these measures, the amount of this waste was reduced by almost 7% in 2021.