Waste Management

Why is Waste Management important?

The healthcare sector generates millions of tonnes of waste worldwide each year, and waste negatively impacts our environment, health, and well-being in many ways. Improper waste management can have a detrimental impact on climate change, cause air pollution, or even contaminate water and soil.

As part of our ambition to lead change in the healthcare industry, we aim to reduce our waste footprint and minimise our consumption of raw material.

To shape a resilient, sustainable and healthy future for people and the planet, we aim to reduce our waste footprint, starting with our commitment to reduce single-use virgin plastic in non-clinical areas of our hospitals.

Reduce single-use virgin plastic by 90% in non-clinical areas in IHH Malaysia and IHH Singapore by 2023

Refer to our Sustainability Report for a full list of goals and targets.

Did You Know?

85%

of healthcare waste is general, non-hazardous waste.

2022

is the year when microplastics was first found in human blood.

We hope to influence the plastic management philosophy in the healthcare sector by first reducing our use of single-use virgin plastic in non-clinical areas. Our commitment to protect our planet includes reducing the amount of plastic we purchase, use, provide and dispose of.

What We’re Doing

We take a holistic approach towards waste management by focusing on:

Adhering to strict waste management regulations and work with licensed contractors.
Reducing waste at the source and implementing reuse and recycle strategies.
Sharing best practices and making annual waste data disclosures to drive synergy across the organisation.

We are proud to take the lead in the healthcare industry by becoming the first healthcare organisation to join the World Wide Fund for Nature Plastic ACTion (WWF PACT) initiative. This enables us to adopt sustainable practices for plastic waste reduction and a circular economy.

Our Highlights

IHH Malaysia Hospitals Reduced Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles by 100% Since September 2021

We have committed to reducing our single-use virgin plastic in non-medical areas by 90% in our hospitals in Malaysia and Singapore by 2023. Examples of single-use plastics being monitored include cups, cutleries (fork, knife and spoon), bowls, straws, lunch boxes and water bottles.

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Our Highlights

How We Manage Hazardous Waste in Acibadem Operations in Türkiye

Hazardous waste generated as the result of various activities in Acıbadem hospitals is collected separately in sealed plastic waste buckets labeled with specific waste codes. Separately collected hazardous waste is temporarily stored in the hazardous waste warehouse before being sent for disposal. In order to reduce the generated amount of hazardous waste, the recycling of recyclable wastes is encouraged as much as possible.

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Our Highlights

Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong: Waste Management Initiatives

In July 2022, Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong participated in the Programme on Source Separation of Commercial and industrial Waste organised by the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department that aims to encourage the setting up of an effective mechanism to facilitate waste separation and recycling.

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