Reducing the use of single-use plastic

A team from the Prince of Wales Hospital (POWH) Operating Theatres and Central Sterilising Services Department (CSSD) have successfully introduced reusable bowl kits to replace single-use bowls in the Randwick Campus Operating Suites (RCOS). 

This project was part of the Innovation Exchange Series on Practising Sustainable Healthcare, supported by the Agency for Clinical Innovation. Its aim was to assess the use of reusable polypropylene holloware products in reducing single use theatre packs including bowls, kidney dishes and gallipots.   

During the nine-day pilot period, 46 surgeries used reusable packs, replacing 316 single-use items, the equivalent to 21kgs of plastic waste. 

“Acceptance was reviewed in staff meetings, with the holloware bowl kits endorsed as fit for purpose to general speciality theatres. The reusable kits are now part of the regular POWH CSSD catalogue of reusable medical devices supplied to theatres every day for some theatres and RCOS is working on modification of all custom packs to remove the single use holloware,” Pooja Bhusal, Clinical Nurse Consultant, RCOS explained proudly.  

The project saves approximately 7 tonnes of CO2e and diverts more than 4 tonnes of waste from landfill annually. 

You can find more details on the project here. 

Published 14 April 2025