A very topical blog this month from Ruth @theroarsomervn – great to connect & hear her tips for improving sustainability in veterinary practice while keeping safe during the pandemic.
I love hearing what you’ve been up to and sharing your journeys to becoming a bit more sustainable.
“Have you ever walked into practice and felt that – as a profession – we’re just not doing enough?“
Ruth Greenhill
Owing to greater awareness about the threats posed to the environment by climate change, habitat loss, and pollution, we are all increasingly clued-up on sustainability in our personal lives. At home we may strive to reduce, reuse, and recycle, for instance. However, have you ever walked into practice and felt that – as a profession – we’re just not doing enough?
This year we have seen practice protocols change (and change once more!) as we all endeavour to keep up to date with government advice, and do our best to keep ourselves, our clients, and our patients as safe as possible. In the meantime, you might have noticed your practice producing more waste than ever before, for example through the use of disposable single-use items. If, like me, this has triggered feelings of guilt, then you’re in the right place! Below are a few suggestions for how to improve practice sustainability in the veterinary industry whilst keeping safe during the pandemic.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
2020 has seen our PPE usage (and resulting waste) go through the roof. Making a few small changes to how you source and use your PPE may be costly initially, but in the long term could save practices money and reduce pollution. Try to:
– Avoid using flimsy disposable plastic aprons, which only ever rip when a cat claws at them or a dog jumps up in excitement. Instead, invest either in wipe down aprons that can be cleaned between clients, or fabric aprons that can be washed at the end of the shift/day. Bonus points are awarded if these aprons are second hand or made from recycled fabric!
– Find a reusable face mask or scrub hat that’s conformable, fits you well, and expresses your personality. Save disposable masks for theatre or appropriate procedures only.
– Question the need for disposable gloves, which could be replaced by improved hand hygiene. Your practice may also be willing to invest in reusable gloves for use when cleaning, or ‘greener’ gloves such as biodegradable brands (e.g. Showa).
– Look into more eco-friendly suppliers when purchasing new scrubs or uniform. Some companies, like Barco One, use fabrics made from recycled bottles, helping to keep oceans clean from litter.
Cleaning
It’s more than likely your practice has implemented new cleaning protocols since March of this year. The veterinary industry uses lots of strong chemicals during each working day, meaning practices should be mindful of where these chemicals end up. Take the time to look at product labels and check what warnings they contain. Be aware that:
– A lot of strong cleaning products are harmful to aquatic life, and cause environmental damage. Try to minimise these effects by making sure staff are use cleaning solutions appropriately and in their correct dilutions.
– The Environment Agency have instructions for the correct disposal of chemical waste. Make sure this guidance is being adhered to.
– Old or donated fabric towels could be used as cleaning rags instead of buying cloths or using excessive amounts of paper roll.
– Plastic free cleaning products can be used in practice. Perhaps plastic free soap bars in toilets or hard shampoo and conditioner in shower blocks?
Medications
Just like supermarkets were stripped of some essential (and non-essential!) items, veterinary practices have also seen huge demand for certain medications, while also suffering from interferences in stock control. Being sensible with drug orders and not letting clients “rule the roost” could go a long way under these circumstances. Understand that:
– While there may be constant changes to drug availability from your supplier, do your best to not stockpile medicines. Keeping appropriate levels of stock saves money and could prevent wastage in the long term, as just like food products medicine has expiry dates.
– Paper bags and cardboard cartons are perfectly valid means by which drugs can be dispensed. Try switching from plastic dispensing bags or bottles were appropriate.
– Be mindful of the drugs you are prescribing and get to know your patients. For example, a dog which enjoys swimming will do better on an oral flea treatment rather than a topical treatment. Whilst this will (first and foremost) improve efficacy it will also reduce the risk posed to freshwater species from medicinal runoff/drug pollution.
With that, you’ve reached to the end of my list! I hope you find some of these tips useful, and can think of many more potential changes to implement at work. Feel free to share these in the comment section below. I’m a strong believer that in order to successfully make change, a “grass roots” approach is what’s needed first. Having “green teams” and even practice ambassadors overseeing and making these sustainable changes could have a ripple effect that ultimately impacts big industry providers. In the meantime, let’s all do our bit!
Ruth Greenhill
Want to share your journey or sustainable tips and feature on the blog? Get in touch at allscrubbedupscrubhats@gmail.com