It pays to be waste-conscious!

Waste disposal costs money, and poorly segregated waste ends up in landfills, releasing greenhouse gases. In collaboration with the HSE Climate Change Programme, NOHC purchased baler equipment to improve the Hospital’s recycling of cardboard and plastic waste.

We bale 500kg of cardboard each week and earn €10 per tonne collected. This results in a modest income of €260 per year, but the true savings are environmental. We’re preventing this cardboard from ending up in landfills, where decomposition can take up to two months, releasing methane gas, which is 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

While plastic recycling may not generate income, it does result in cost savings. Our recycling services regularly collect 500kg of plastic waste, reducing weekly green bin collections from 22 bins to just 5, saving the Hospital approximately €45,000 annually on bin lifts. Furthermore, we’re preventing these plastics from being disposed of in landfills, where they can take up to 1,000 years to decompose, releasing harmful chemicals and microplastics into the soil.

Our waste-conscious efforts are saving both money and the planet, and we’re not stopping there. In 2025, plans include establishing a new recycling area, introducing 1,100-litre green bins for easy sorting and storage, and installing new machinery for waste movement and management.