Werribee Mercy Hospital (WMH) and Mercy Hospital for Women (MHW) have each installed a new recycling station. Located at both hospital sites, the stations were implemented as part of a new green initiative, after staff overwhelmingly threw their support behind the idea.
Installed in June 2023, the stations support our hospital staff to sustainably dispose of hard-to-recycle items such as coffee pods, medication vial lids, batteries and small e-waste like cables and headphones.
In just over six months, the two stations have already recycled over 40 kilograms of coffee pods, 10,000 medication blister packs and seven kilograms of medication vial lids.
Staff have embraced the stations, and are supported by Mercy Health ‘Green Champions’ team, a group of environmentally conscious volunteers across Mercy Health. Green Champions are passionate about sustainability and interested in working to deliver eco-friendly initiatives across Mercy Health.
As of 2024, there are more than 80 champions from 50 departments across six of our health service sites, including WMH, MHW and Mercy Palliative Care in Sunshine.
Reflecting on the initiative, Mercy Health Sustainability Lead Mimi Gemmell says the team is hoping to continue its expansion.
“We are always thinking about what we could add next to our recycling list and how we could improve the project. Our Mercy Health Albury site has been trialling food waste recycling, which is something we hope to implement at our metro Melbourne hospitals in the future,” Mimi said.
To ensure the initiative continues to work effectively, the waste is segregated upon disposal and then the bins are collected and disposed of weekly by either the Sustainability Team or Environmental Services staff.
The recycling stations are a welcome addition to WMH and MHW, and a wonderful achievement for all Mercy Health staff who are working towards a greener future.
Last reviewed February 2, 2024.
