How much do we throw away in the intensive care unit? An observational point prevalence study of Australian and New Zealand ICUs
Matthew Anstey, Louise Trent, Deepak Bhonagiri, Naomi Hammond, Serena Knowles, Forbes McGain, Naomi Hammond, Serena Knowles, Amy Freeman–Sanderson, Subodh Ganu, Belinda Howe, Edward Litton, Diane Mackle, Manoj Saxena, Ian Seppelt, Miriam Towns, Elizabeth Yarad, Hammond, Serena Knowles, Annie Gao, Yang Li, John Myburgh, Ian Seppelt, Conrad Nangla, Fatima Butt, Graeme Duke, Stephanie Hunter, Julie Evans, Dianne Parker, Clare Loughnan, Blessy Thomas, Eileen Gilder, Melissa Robertson, Ellie McMahon, Farisha Ali, Keri-Anne Cowdrey, Colin McArthur, Yan Chen, Catherine Simmonds, Rachael McConnochie, Caroline O’Connor, Khaled El-Khawas, Dianne Hill, Claire Cattigan, Michelle Horton, Jemma Trickey, Cameron Knott, Julie Smith, Catherine Boschert, Treena Sara, Kiran Nand, Graeme Duke, Stephanie Hunter, Julie Evans, Dianne Parker, Clare Loughnan, Blessy Thomas, Mahesh Ramanan, Prashanti Marella, Julia Affleck, Shannon Simpson, Katrina Ellem, Toni McKenna, Mary Nourse, Kristine Leung, Tash Edmunds, Bree McDonald, Jan Mehrtens, Rosalba Cross, Helen Wong, Paweł Twardowski, Dawn France, Gabrielle Hanlon, Jonathan Barrett, Anna Maria Palermo, Susan Pellicano, Ege Eroglu, Shailesh Bihari, Julia Brown, Laura Grear, Xia Jin, Craig French, Samantha Bates, Miriam Towns, Fiona H. Marshall, Rebecca McEldrew, James McCullough, Mandy Tallott, Maimoonbe Gough, Marek Nalos, Laura Younger, Ravi Krishnamurphy, Louise Trent, J. How, Anne Stuart, Llesley Chadwick, Neeraj Bhadange, Steven Tyler, Kellie Sosnowski, Lynette Morrison
Abstract
Objective: During the current COVID pandemic, waste generation has been more evident with increased use of single use masks, gowns and other personal protective equipment. We aimed to understand the scale of waste generation, recycling rates and participation in Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) ICUs. Design: This is a prospective cross-sectional point prevalence study, as part of the 2021 ANZICS Point Prevalence Program. Specific questions related to waste and sustainability practices were asked at the site and patient level. Setting and participants: ANZ adult ICUs and their patients on the day of the study. Main outcome measures: Amount of single use items disposed of per shift, as well as the engagement of the site with sustainability and recycling practices. Results: In total, 712 patients (median number of patients per ICU = 17, IQR 11-30) from 51 ICUs across ANZ were included in our study; 55% of hospitals had a sustainability officer, and recycling paper (86%) and plastics (65%) were frequent, but metal recycling was limited (27%). Per patient bed space per 12-h shift there was recycling of less than 40% paper, glass, intravenous fluid bags, medication cups and metal instruments. A median of 10 gowns (IQR 3-19.5), 10 syringes (4.5-18) and gloves 30 (18-49) were disposed of per bed space, per 12-h shift. These numbers increased significantly when comparing patients with and without infection control precautions in place. Conclusions: In ANZ ICUs, we found utilisation of common ICU consumables to be high and associated with low recycling rates. Interventions to abate resource utilisation and augment recycling are required to improve environmental sustainability in intensive care units.