Uong Bi Vietnam/Sweden Hospital is one of the largest hospitals in Quang Ninh province, generating approximately five tons of plastic waste each month. The hospital has a recycling program for this waste, but faces challenges in classifying waste products and finding buyers for disinfected plastic waste. On August 16th, with support from USAID, the hospital signed an MOU with the Center for Health Environment Research and Development to improve plastic medical waste management.
Through this support, the hospital will pilot a circular economy model on medical plastic waste management which will promote green procurement, improve waste classification and sterilization, and engage buyers and recyclers of plastics, building demand for recycled products, and reducing the amount of medical plastic waste that goes into the environment.