Skip navigation

Insight+: What to do with the mountains of plastic waste in health care?

Plastic production has doubled in the last 20 years, posing environmental and significant health risks, particularly for future generations. Managing medical packaging not only has environmental and health benefits but could lead to substantial cost savings writes Dr Mitchell Hickson.

The healthcare sector substantially contributes to plastic pollution, with single-use plastics accounting for about one-third of its waste.

But there are solutions. Australia's packaging is managed through a co-regulatory system, but a 2021 review identified compliance failures. DEA supports a mandatory product stewardship scheme, to enhance packaging recovery and reduce production, along with banning harmful chemicals like PFAs and unrecoverable single-use packaging.

Read the full article in Insight+

Continue Reading

Read More