Environmental Initiatives at the Department of Medicine (RMH/WH)

The environment as we know it is a finite resource—particularly given the rate at which we are using non-renewable resources. At the Department of Medicine (RMH/WH), via the Environment Representative and with overwhelming support from the staff and students, we are doing our bit for the environment by putting in place a raft of environmental initiatives through which we hope to minimise our impact on the environment.

Recycle / Reuse

Recycling maximises the use of our natural resources (see Buying Recycled). It also decreases the waste that ends up in landfill and saves the Department money (i.e. through recycled notepads, disposable plates etc.).  

• Recycled notepads are made in the Department from paper that has been used on one side only. Covers are then added to make A4 and A5 notepads.
• Paper containing confidential material and/or has been used on both sides is shredded and sent off to pet shops for reuse. This is one of the ultimate forms of recycling.
• Recycling plastics, glass, aluminum and steel cans, as well as toner cartridges.*
• Reusing cutlery and crockery in the tearoom instead of using disposable plates, spoons, knives and forks.*

* Plastics take between 20 years and indefinitely to degrade! Glass takes 1 million years and tin/aluminium cans take 50–100 years to breakdown. It is therefore vital to keep them out of our landfill! (Ref: Clean up Australia website and search for 'Plastic bag facts'.)

Buying Recycled

'Closing the loop' in recycling, by using products made from recycled materials, is essential to the viability of recycling. It minimises the need to obtain more raw materials by processes such as mining or cutting down trees. In addition, it decreases the amount of water, electricity and chemicals needed to turn the raw materials into products vs the remanufacture of recycled waste into products. In the Department we use, where possible:

• Recycled tissues—that are 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper (i.e. the office paper we put into recycling bins), that are not chlorine bleached and are Australian made and owned.
• Recycled paper—100% post-consumer waste recycled paper that isn't chlorine bleached.

Reduce the Use of Energy and Materials

• Encouraging double-sided printing whenever possible.
• Turning off lights and equipment when not in use.

Green Office / Laboratory Update

Since mid-2005 the following amounts of environment-friendly products have been used in the Department:

• Several hundred reams of 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper
• 47 small recycled note pads
• 9 large recycled note pads
• 660 boxes of 100% post-consumer waste recycled tissues—that's approximately 66,000 tissues!!!

For more information on how to be environment-friendly in a work situation, go to the University's Green Office website.