INSIDE OUR PROVEN PATH TO ZERO WASTE IN HOSPITALS

Hospitals generate huge volumes of complex waste, and for good reason. Strict hygiene standards, single-use items, and health risks leave little room for error. But what if we told you that Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL) isn’t a pipe dream for healthcare facilities?

At WastePlan, we’ve made “Zero Waste to Landfill” a reality in hospitals.
Not a vague promise. Not a pilot.  We’re talking over 90% landfill diversion - sustained, audited, and repeatable.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to improve your diversion rate, here’s how we help hospitals get to zero, without compromising safety, compliance, or care.

Here’s our no-fluff, high-impact 5-step model. Purpose-built for healthcare. Proven in the field.

Step 1. Lock Down Contamination

Our on-site teams make sure healthcare risk waste never contaminates general waste. If hazardous material shows up where it shouldn’t, we act fast – it’s quarantined, logged, and rerouted to the right bins. This protects recycling streams and ensures compliance from day one.

Step 2. Real Recycling, Not Box-Ticking

We put trained staff on-site with site-specific strategies to take full control of your waste, sorting, streamlining, and lifting diversion rates from day one. We don’t rely on your nurses to figure it out. We handle it.

Step 3. Divert the “Undivertable”

Waste that everyone else sends to landfill: We find a way.
Here’s how we’ve cracked some of the most stubborn healthcare waste streams:

• Adhesive label backing
  Used daily for patient ID and medication tracking, this sticky waste was once unrecyclable. After months of collaboration and testing, we cracked the process to separate the glue; now it's pulped and transformed into tissue paper.

• From toxic to tissue: that’s innovation.

• Gel ice packs
  Widely used for injuries and transporting temperature-sensitive medication, these high-volume packs used to pile up. Now, we open them on-site, compost the biodegradable gel, and recycle the PVC outer layer.

• One waste stream, two circular solutions.
  
• Sterile wraps
  These blue surgical drapes are used once and tossed - often by the tonne. But if they’re clean and uncontaminated, we collect and recycle them. The result? Thousands of kilograms of polyester-based fibre diverted from landfill and brought back into the material loop.
  
• IV bags and tubing
  Through our partnership with My Walk, we help recycle non-contaminated PVC IV bags and tubing into something meaningful: durable school shoes for children in need. It’s not just recycling — it’s social impact in action.
  

Step 4. Measure everything

Every waste stream is weighed, tracked, and recorded in our digital system. Clients get real-time access to custom dashboards and automated reports. The data is accurate, auditable, and actionable.

Step 5. Training for Long-Term Impact

One-off training doesn’t cut it. We embed Zero Waste into your hospital’s culture with a system that sticks:

• Quarterly refresher sessions to keep teams sharp
• Random audits to keep standards high
• Monthly reviews to fine-tune performance
• Department-level KPIs to create ownership
• Visual reminders and on-site support to drive daily action

It’s not a checkbox exercise - it’s a shift in mindset. And it works.

Why Hospitals Choose WastePlan

• Level 1 B-BBEE partner - We help clients unlock procurement points while delivering top-tier service.

• ISO-certified quality - We help clients unlock procurement points while delivering top-tier service.

• Dedicated support - Our systems are independently audited, ensuring consistent, high-quality performance.
• Rapid emergency response - Waste crisis? We’re on it. Our team is trained to respond fast and fix the issue with minimal disruption.
  

The Zero Waste Future Starts Now

We’ve helped industries across South Africa, from retail to manufacturing, cut waste to near-zero. Now we’re doing the same in healthcare.

Hospitals can lead the way to a cleaner, smarter future.  Are you ready to stop sending waste to landfill for good?

Change the way you think about waste. Get in touch with WastePlan today!