University Hospital Galway was fined over €10,000 in a 14-month period by a waste management service for incorrectly dumping medical waste in recycling.
The fines were revealed in a HSE audit of waste management at the hospital which found that, due to “healthcare risk waste being found in recycled waste coming from an on-site compactor”, the contractor imposed fines of €112 per tonne for June 2015 and €102 from July 2015 to date.
The hospital had an agreement to pay just €38 per tonne for its recycled waste. However, the penalties meant the hospital was charged €150 per tonne for its waste in June 2015, and €140 from July 2015 onwards. Auditors noted the total costs of fines for a 14-month period was €10,025.