Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board (CTM UHB) is shortlisted in the NHS Wales Awards 2023
CTM UHB is delighted to have partnered with *ELITE Paper Solutions, the company contracted to manage the Health Board’s confidential waste, in a pilot programme where the Health Board’s repurposed cardboard waste supports the manufacture of animal bedding.
The Health Board is now shortlisted for its work in ‘The NHS Wales Awards’ under the category of ‘working seamlessly across the public and third sector’, which will take place in October 2023.
From November 2022 to August 2023 the Royal Glamorgan Hospital together with ELITE Paper Solutions, a social enterprise in Merthyr Tydfil, worked in partnership to carry out a pilot programme, which is hoped will be implemented across the entire Health Board.
Cardboard is considered a waste product, but is a valuable commodity that can be recycled or shredded and reused. The NHS as a whole produces up to 600,000 tonnes of waste each year and around 85% of this waste is non-hazardous. This means that potentially 85% of NHS waste is recyclable. The Health Board produces over 3000 tonnes of waste annually and non-confidential cardboard and paper contributes to a high percentage of this waste figure.
Ian Thomas, Group Enterprise Manager from ELITE Paper Solutions said: “The pilot is aimed to reduce the carbon footprint (which it did by 502.02kgCOe) annually, save the health board money and support us the local employer as we employ disadvantaged and/or disabled staff.
James who works at ELITE said: “I’m a supervisor and I love working here. I’ve been here six years now – I started working seven hours a week, and progressed to thirty seven hours a week. I’ve had forklift truck training, and training to supervisor level. ELITE gives me a challenge – you don’t know what you’ll have to sort out each day, but you know you have the support to get it done.”
Craig Edwards, Environment, Waste and Fleet Manager for the Health Board said: “This is another first for CTM UHB and we are delighted to continue to work in partnership with, and support, Elite Paper Solutions and its team of staff.
“CTM UHB began working with Elite in 2016, and they have maintained an excellent year on year service for the collection, destruction, and subsequent recycling of confidential waste, which supports the Health Board in maintaining its GDPR compliance. The team is well known for their enthusiasm and helpfulness and are always prepared to go the extra mile to support the health board at short notice.
“Forward thinking in our sustainability targets to meet the Welsh Government Zero Waste deadline, and in partnership with the CTM UHB Innovation Team and CEIC (Circular Economy Innovation Committee) we noted as a team, the 5 R’s of Waste Management ‘Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle’ and asked ourselves what could we do differently that makes a difference not just for health board waste, but also for social responsibility and future sustainable employment, the answer was ‘cardboard’.
“Working with Elite is a clear demonstration of CTM UHB’s commitment to the Future Generations Act, and it’s wider role as a leading organisation leading the green agenda. The pilot has already opened the door to several other opportunities to showcase forward thinking when it comes to items historically classified as waste.”
*ELITE Paper Solutions is based in Merthyr Tydfil, and offers volunteering and employment opportunities for local disadvantaged and disabled people. Currently, the ELITE staff profile consist of 66 disadvantaged/disabled people: 43 staff are paid and 23 are volunteers and pupils from Additional Learning Needs schools/colleges on work experience. Many of the individuals starting as volunteers move on to paid employment at ELITE and elsewhere, with the effect of improving life chances and reducing local unemployment regardless of background or circumstance (including their socioeconomic background or circumstance).
18/09/2023