Sustainability

Our green plan (2020-25) is our commitment to delivering sustainable healthcare – from how we power our sites, to how we manage waste and the products we use.

We are proud to do our bit to protect our planet and patients, both today and in the future.

Read the plan in full on our publications page.

Unwanted walking frames, sticks, rollators, and crutches issued by us can be dropped off at specially designated areas at New Cross and Cannock Chase hospitals.

Returning your crutches, sticks or frames when no longer needed, means they can be cleaned and used for future patients – avoiding them going into landfill. This could help save the Trust up to £46,000 and the same amount of carbon admissions as 5,670 car trips from Bristol to London per year.

The collection points are outside the main entrance to the emergency department and in the fracture department at New Cross Hospital, and outside the lower ground floor at Cannock Chase Hospital.

For more information about our commitment to sustainability, email: rwh-tr.communicationsdept@nhs.net

You can return old or used inhalers to New Cross and Cannock Chase Hospitals or a participating pharmacy in Wolverhampton (see full list of pharmacies below). The inhalers are recycled and transformed into new products, such as coat hangers and waste bins.

The dedicated recycling bins at our hospital sites come with supporting guidance that explains what can and cannot be recycled.

The facts about inhalers:

• Inhalers account for three per cent of the overall NHS carbon footprint. In the Midlands, over 12 million inhalers were prescribed in 2019/20.
• These inhalers included short-acting beta-agonist (SABA) inhalers, which are used to provide quick relief of asthma symptoms. Together with metered dose inhalers (MDI), dry power inhalers (DPI) and soft mist inhalers (SMI), they contributed to over 200,000 tonnes of carbon.
• The propellants used in MDI inhalers contain hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). These are potent greenhouse gases, and not disposing of them correctly means they will leak out over time, contributing to global warming.

The RWT bins are located as follows:

• Lloyds Pharmacy at New Cross Hospital (level one, above Greggs, location A4)
• Inside the Emergency Department entrance at New Cross Hospital (location C50)
• Respiratory Centre at New Cross Hospital (location B1)
• Lloyds Pharmacy at Cannock Chase Hospital (level one)
• Main reception at West Park Rehabilitation Hospital

The items need to be clean and loose (not tied up in plastic bags), and should not include any of the following:

• Inhaler spacers
• Any other medication or the empty strips from tablets and capsules
• The box the inhaler came in
• Paper
• Cardboard
• Other types of plastic

Any metered dose inhaler can be recycled. Please see examples of common ones below:

You can recycle your inhalers at any of the following locations:

The inhaler recycling scheme helps to support NHS England’s Greener NHS programme aimed at achieving net zero emissions by 2040. It is part of a collaborative working initiative between The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and AstraZeneca UK Ltd, supported by the Black Country Integrated Care Board and Wolverhampton City Local Pharmaceutical Committee.

Find out more about the scheme and other green initiatives in the Black Country: Healthier Futures – Greener Black Country