The recycling symbol, a triangle made of three arrows that turn in on themselves, is unquestionably iconic. Designed by Gary Anderson, a then-23-year-old architecture student at the University of Southern California in 1970,[1] the emblem is instantly recognisable and seen in many walks of life.
The three points also lent itself to the expression Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – simple to remember, and in many instances, just as easy to implement.
However, the saying has rebranded to the 5 R’s in many circles. When selecting equipment for your practice, you could consider the following, in order of priority: “Reduce, Reuse, Reprocessed, Renewable, Recycle”.
Reasoning the 5 R’s
The NHS alone contributes to around 4% of the country’s carbon emissions[2] – healthcare, public or private, has an impact on the environment that must be curtailed at any and all given opportunities. In dentistry, professionals have a responsibility to put patients’ interests first throughout their care,[3] which will no doubt include the want for a safe and green approach that protects the world around them, as well as their dentition.
Health Technical Memorandum 07-01 (HTM 07-01) uses the 5 R’s to present questions that dental professionals must ask themselves when assessing sustainable procurement.[4] Clinicians that actively consider them can take many steps towards greener dentistry.
What are the 5 R’s?
The list begins with ‘Reduce’, prompting clinicians to ask themselves, “Is this product necessary? If so, in what amount?” In many cases, it isn’t possible to eliminate a product from your workflow without compromising the care that is provided to patients. However, if you find your practice is disposing of perishable items, like pharmaceutical products, in excess because they have surpassed their expiration date, consider reassessing the amounts you are purchasing. Pharmaceuticals contribute to an estimated 20% of NHS greenhouse gas emissions.4 Reducing unnecessary waste can help the environment immensely.
For ‘Reuse’, dental professionals should consider whether they can avoid single-use products. This may be difficult, but where possible should be explored. Professionals may be able to invest in items that can be decontaminated or cleaned effectively, and reintroduced safely into the dental workflow. Reusable PPE is one such example, which clinicians must ensure is laundered appropriately between each use to meet safety standards.[5]
Next, ‘Reprocessed’. This relates to the make-up of an item, and how it will be managed at the time of disposal. There are a number of items that can meet all of the necessary safety regulations, whilst being made out of material that can be used long into the future. At the end of its use, the item may be collected by the supplier, and reprocessed into a new product, perhaps serving an entirely different purpose.
‘Renewable’ calls for clinicians to take an active step in assessing the materials that their equipment is made of. Items that are made out of renewable materials can be replenished over time, with replacements made from natural resources. HTM 07-01 references a case study in Sweden, where the use of biopolymer aprons with 91% renewable content reduced the number of disposable aprons that were discarded.4
Finally, clinicians will be familiar with the responsibility of choosing to ‘Recycle’ wherever possible, and can apply this forethought when purchasing new products. Dental professionals should consult with specialist waste management teams to see where the most effective changes can be made throughout their workflow. They should look to recycle all materials possible, and all items that can’t, such as anyoffensive waste, should be disposed of through alternative methods such as incineration for energy recovery, which helps achieve landfill diversion targets.4
Changes to waste management
Clinicians will no doubt be thinking of all the potential changes they can make throughout their practice, but they should begin by looking at the items used in their own waste management streams. The containers used to store and transport your used items can have an enormous impact on the environment – they are among the top 20 items that account for more than 70% of the supply chain footprint.[6]
Dental professionals can start making simple, but effective, changes today. Follow the 5 R’s and choose options such as the Sharpak Zero waste containers from Initial Medical. These are a great alternative to the single-use sharps waste containers used in many dental practices, and are collected and sanitised for up to 10 uses, renewing and extending the life of the product. Then the plastic they are made from is remade into a completely new container, which again has another 10 container cycles; this process will be repeated 10 times, and so replaces 100 single-use sharps waste containers, before the plastic is recycled to better protect the environment.
The 5 R’s should always be considered when making changes to your practices item procurement processes. As a result, you may be able to have a reduced impact on the environment, and commit to greener dental care for the future.
To find out more, get in touch at 0808 304 7411 or visit the website today www.initial.co.uk/medical
Author: Rebecca Waters
Rebecca has worked in the healthcare sector for the past 20 years and earned a BSc Chemistry (Hons) prior to joining Rentokil Initial in 2003. She works within the Research and Development team and keeps up-to-date on all changes within the clinical waste management industry, as well as the specialist hygiene and infection control industries, and is an active member of the CIWM and HWMA. Following roles as an Analytical Chemist and Hygiene Chemist, she has worked in a variety of leading marketing roles since 2006, making her an expert within the industry. She is a Fellow at the Chartered Institute of Marketing, an FCIM. Rebecca loves spending time outdoors and in the water – whether walking, camping, or swimming – and completed a focus on environmental studies during her university degree. She is proud to be pushing a sustainability agenda throughout her work.
About Initial Medical
Initial Medical set the standard in healthcare and infectious waste management in the UK, providing a reliable, effective and fully compliant service built around customer needs and delivered by our highly trained local teams. We are ISO 9001:2015 accredited, with technology fully integrated into our operations, providing full traceability of service delivery, electronic waste documentation and the best customer experience possible. We also offer innovative healthcare waste management services and infection control products, to help break the chain of transmission and prevent cross contamination.
Initial Medical are a company with a ‘World Class’ Health and Safety record, and ISO 45001:2018 accreditation. We are also accredited to ISO 14001:2015 environmental standards, and pride ourselves on our sustainable approach with a focus on delivering eco-friendly products and operational solutions.
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[1] Che, C., (2023). His Recycling Symbol Is Everywhere. The E.P.A. Says It Shouldn’t Be. The New York Times. (Online) Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/07/climate/chasing-arrows-recycling-symbol-epa.html [Accessed July 2024]
[2] NHS England, (N.D.). Greener NHS, National Ambition. (Online) Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/national-ambition/ [Accessed July 2024]
[3] General Dental Council, (2019). Standards for the dental team. (Online) Available at: https://www.gdc-uk.org/standards-guidance/standards-and-guidance/standards-for-the-dental-team [Accessed July 2024]
[4] NHS England, (2023). Health Technical Memorandum 07:01 Safe and sustainable management of healthcare waste. (Online) Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/B2159iii-health-technical-memorandum-07-01.pdf [Accessed July 2024]
[5] Care Quality Commission, (2024). Dental mythbuster 30: Laundering of protective clothing. (Online) Available at: https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-provideR’s/dentists/dental-mythbuster-30-laundering-protective-clothing [Accessed July 2024]
[6] McPherson, B., Sharip, M., & Grimmond, T. (2019). The impact on life cycle carbon footprint of converting from disposable to reusable sharps containers in a large US hospital geographically distant from manufacturing and processing facilities. PeerJ, 7, e6204.
