Hospitals in the northern three provinces will work together to reduce hospital waste and CO2 emissions. With the Care2Change project, with a total size of six million euros, the parties want to purchase or reuse residual products in a sustainable way.
The UMCG is the cart -stretcher of the project, but Treant and the WZA participate from Drenthe. Care2Change receives a contribution of three million euros, from the European Regional Development Fund. The provinces of Drenthe and Groningen both contribute 250,000 euros and also the municipalities of Emmen, Assen, Groningen and Leeuwarden put money in the project.
The hospitals agree that something should be done against the large amount of waste that is thrown away. After surgery, 27 kilos of residual waste remains. Care2Change wants to change this by investing in reuse, recyclable products and circular processes. They want to do this by, for example, using sorting or car washes, so that some products can be used again.
According to deputy Willemien Meeuwissen, the project not only offers opportunities for the healthcare sector, but also beyond. “The healthcare sector offers great opportunities to combat waste and to create opportunities for jobs and activities. This project connects care, knowledge and the Drents SMEs to innovations that contribute to broad prosperity in our region.”