Ramsay Newsroom

Ramsay Health Care is committing to swap out a total of 50 million single-use plastic items – such as medicine cups, anaesthetic and injection trays – for environmentally friendly alternatives. 

Ramsay Health Care Australia CEO, Carmel Monaghan, said the company wascommitted to working toward this even loftier target by the end of 2022. 

“We have seen what a big difference some small changes can make to the environment and the future of our planet,” Ms Monaghan said. 

“After hitting 25 million in the first 18 months of the initiative, we want to double that and remove a total of 50 million single-use plastic items from landfill by the end of next year.”

In the same 18 month period, all Ramsay Health Care sites have also switched from single-use plastics water bottles for patients to reusable alternatives, saving an estimated nine million additional items from landfill. 

Ramsay’s National Environment Manager Sue Panuccio said the support for the initiative from patients and staff was overwhelming. 

“Reducing waste, particularly single-use plastics,is an initiative that our people have been very passionate about,” Ms Panuccio said. 

“The National Waste Report 2020stated that only 13 percent of plastic used in Australia is recycled. What isn’t recycled ends up in landfill, or worse, in our oceans. As a country surrounded by water, reducing plastic waste is something we can all relate to. In fact, concerns from our patients and staff about the number of single use plastic water bottles we were using was one catalyst for this initiative which now forms part of our Ramsay Caressustainabilitystrategy.   

“The first items to go were plastic plates, cutlery and straws, and thanks to suggestions from our people we are now looking at additional plastic items to replace with sustainable alternatives.

“With the support of our people and our patients I think we’re in a good position to be able to reach our target of keeping 50 million single use plastic items out of landfill by December next year.”