Following its launch in 2014, UK PVC take-back scheme for medical PVC waste, RecoMed, has rolled out to a number of other hospitals as the National Health Service aims to better manage the 350,000 tonnes of waste it produces annually, 40% of which is plastic waste.

The RecoMed scheme is a partnership project between the British Plastics Federation (BPF) and Axion Consulting and is funded by Vinyl Plus, the voluntary sustainable development programme of the European PVC industry.

According to Axion, PVC is widely used in medical devices from IV solution bags to tubes and masks, many of which are single use items which could be sent for recycling.

Good luck to this initiative. Let us hope it is successful, and secures the cooperation and support of both producers and regulators.