GIVING HOSPITAL WASTE A NEW LIFE

Multigate is excited to collaborate in an innovative circular economy research project aiming to solve the challenge of reclaiming non-woven polypropylene.

Multigate is excited to collaborate in an innovative circular economy research project aiming to solve the challenge of reclaiming non-woven polypropylene.

THE FUTURE OF HOSPITAL WASTE MANAGEMENT

In collaboration with our partners in the Achieving Circularity in Hospitals project, Multigate is trialling a potential new waste management opportunity. The trial uses Sterimelt heat compaction technology to process and recover hard-to-recycle non-woven polypropylene (PP) products.

Using Sterimelt to recycle non-woven PP — a simple five-step process:

Stage One — Complete

We’ve proven creating a circular economy for non-woven polypropylene is possible. Non-contaminated Sterilisation Wrap was processed on-site at Bankstown hospital and a product created from the high-quality material recovered.

Raw materials

Used, non-contaminated sterilisation wrap collected from CSSD was successfully processed on-site at Bankstown hospital using the Sterimelt recycling machine.

Briquette

Material volume is reduced by up to 85% and outputted as a briquette, making it easy to store and transport.

Pellets

UTS shredded the briquette and created pellets that can be used to make a wide range of products.

Final output

UTS created an injection moulded tray from the high-quality recycled content, demonstrating that used non-woven polypropylene products can be effectively recycled and a circular economy created.

Stage Two — Tackling contaminated waste

This next stage will focus on delivering the ultimate prize – the establishment of a validated process which enables the safe and effective disinfection and recovery of contaminated non-woven PP, so it can be used to make new products, rather than be incinerated or sent to landfill.

Our hypothesis for stage 2 trials is that the Sterimelt, which operates at over 300 degrees Celsius, will not only reduce the volume of the material by up to 85%, it will also disinfect it at the same time, making the recycled content safe to handle and use in products. 

While this hypothesis still needs to be validated and the recycling process approved, based on stage one results, the high temperature and length of the heating cycle time, the project team is extremely excited by the prospect that the ability to recycle contaminated waste may soon be a viable reality. 

Watch this space. Exciting times ahead!

Multigate Mono Material Project

Multigate have been redesigning our products where practical to better support recycling and a circular economy. Our new Pro3 Surgical Gown, publicly released on 29 November 2024 at the Acorn National conference in Randwick NSW, has been specifically designed from the ground up to be recyclable. It is the first of several mono-material products scheduled for release to customers in 2025.

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Contact us

Contact your Business Development Manager for more information.