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Pharmaceutical manufacturing plants generate a variety of waste streams throughout the production, supply and organisational processes.
While the day-to-day activities are similar from one plant to the next, the actual processes used in pharmaceutical manufacturing vary widely.
The pharmaceutical industry is highly competitive and many organisations are often unwilling to reveal details that surround their processes. With the diversity of processes comes a similarly broad range of waste streams produced.
Typical waste streams include hazardous waste such as solvents, wash waters, off-spec products and used processing aids as well as general mixed waste, cardboard and plastics.
Reducing the generation of these waste streams at the source, or recycling them can prove to be hugely beneficial to pharmaceutical manufacturers in increasing product yields, reducing raw material needs, reducing disposal costs, and reducing the hazardous waste.
This infographic provides an overview of the processes involved in pharmaceutical manufacturing and operations that generate waste. It presents a sample waste review conducted for a pharmaceutical client by GPT Waste.
In this example, the waste streams were identified and if implemented, the new waste management processes proposed by GPT Waste would provide the client with 100% diversion from waste from landfill.
GPT provide complete waste solutions to the pharmaceutical industry and provide options for minimizing the generation of waste materials through source reduction and recycling in cases where opportunities exist.
By employing the services of GPT Waste, pharmaceutical manufacturers are able to increase their understanding of improving waste management strategies by understanding the implications of their own manufacturing processes.
GPT Waste provides clinical healthcare and pharmaceutical waste management services, specialising in protecting people and reducing risk. We work with local and national companies across the public and private sector to improve employee and customer safety, ensure legislative compliance and minimise the environmental impact of waste disposal.
GPT Waste’s services also include:
- Resource management guidance
- Hazardous waste management programmes
- Pharmaceutical waste disposal
With an extensive UK network of service providers and their disposal facilities, they provide a range of services to NHS trusts, GPs, dentists, pharmaceutical manufacturers, private sector businesses, research companies and many more.
To speak to someone about your pharmaceutical and clinical waste disposal requirements, call 0844 854 5000 or email info@gptwaste.com
Take a look at some of GPT’s Hospital and Healthcare case studies below:
Waste Management for Ramsay Healthcare
Waste Management Solutions for Queen’s Hospital
GPT Waste, the largest UK independent provider of waste management solutions and sustainable waste services has won a three year, total waste management contract with one of Europe’s leading generics manufacturers
GPT – The Waste Solution has been employed directly by the client who manufactures and distributes prescription medicines throughout the UK.
They will work with the pharmaceutical manufacturer to provide total waste management services across two sites in the UK, one of which is warehouse and distribution, the second is a large office building with on-site catering.
The three year contract will see waste streams including recyclate, hazardous, confidential and pharmaceutical be completely managed by leading waste management company GPT – The Waste Solution.
The GPT Waste Solution includes collection, disposal and recycling of all types of industrial, factory, production, environmental and packaging waste with real time monitoring and reporting through GPT’s management reporting system.
Mike Callaghan of GPT – The Waste Solution said:
“At GPT, we have an extensive network of service providers enabling us to provide waste total waste management solutions across all sectors including pharmaceutical manufacturing. We are confident that our range of services will allow us to provide this client with improved operational efficiency and significant financial savings and we will strive as ever, to provide a service of excellence”.
Mike Callaghan is the Business Development Manager from GPT Waste Management www.gptwaste.com
GPT Waste provides total waste management services designed to enable to clients to achieve cost reduction by improving efficiency whilst removing risk. They work with local and national companies across the public and private sector to improve employee and customer safety, ensure legislative compliance and minimise the environmental impact of waste disposal. In addition to their waste management services, The Waste Solution offers a complete waste review service to audit the waste management processes of entire estates.
Here at GPT Waste February month has come and gone quickly, however, there are plenty of things to look forward to in March but, before we do here is a quick re-cap of everything that has happened at The Waste Solution.
The Waste Solution wins total waste management contract for the MoD
The largest UK independent provider of waste management solutions and sustainable waste services has won a three year, total waste management contract with the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The project is for the provision of total waste management services across approximately 40 MoD sites of varying sizes ranging from Army Careers Information offices to barracks.
The three year contract started in February 2013 and will see waste streams including recyclate, hazardous, confidential and clinical be completely managed by leading waste management company GPT – The Waste Solution.
Mike Callaghan of GPT – The Waste Solution said:
“Securing a further three year waste management contract with the MoD through an FM Partner is fantastic news and testament to the standard of work provided for the MoD in previous contracts that we have completed. We look forward to continuing our working relationship with the FM organisation and the MOD client, striving to continue our delivery of excellence.”
To read the full story – click here.
Waste management solutions for the manufacturing sector – EP Dust Collection Case Study
GPT were contacted by the client following the set-up of a new manufacturing process on site. This resulted in the production of a new waste stream, the exact composition of which was unknown.
The requirement was to remove large quantities of up to 13 tonnes of the waste stream, in powder format, from site.
Client: Sodexo FM- Pilkington plc
Location: Greengate Works, St Helens
Date: On-going
Sector: Manufacturing
A site visit was undertaken immediately, in order to assess the logistics of the job and also to understand both the process from which the waste was produced and the make- up of the waste.
A sample was taken within 24 hours of the request and sent for analysis by GPT. RoRo containers were discussed but after consideration were deemed to be unsuitable due to the loose nature of the powder and potential problems which could arise during the disbursement of waste around site.
For more information, download the case study.
Leisure Industry Waste Management Case Study – Kudos in Brighton
GPT were asked to review the waste provision at the site following continual issues with service, poor recycling rates of less than 30% and a general lack of management information.
A full site review was undertaken and various waste streams identified. Recommendations were then made to the Site Manager to improve service, reduce costs and increase recycling rates.
To speak to someone about your waste management requirements, call 0844 854 5000 or email info@gptwaste.com
We also offer a full Waste Review Service free of charge. Find out how you can help your business deal more effectively with your waste: Call 0844 854 5000 or email here.
For more information, download the case study here.
Energy from Waste report published – exploring the role energy might have in waste management
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has published the Energy from Waste report as a guide to the debate.
It is clear that the Government is focusing on preventing waste as well as ensuring that any waste is viewed as a valuable resource therefore they would ideally have waste either reused or recycled. It is also Government policy that efficiently recovering energy from residual waste has a valuable role to play in both diverting waste from landfill and energy generation.
The Energy from Waste report has therefore been published to provide a starting point for discussions about the role energy from waste might have in managing waste. This role will however always be dependent on specific circumstances therefore the guide does not provide all the answers but highlights the questions that we should be asking.
This report highlights many key points which are important for us to consider, if you would like to view or download the report, click here.
You can also visit the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs website for further information on the report.
To read the full story – click here.
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The GPT Waste Management Team
The Waste Solution, the largest UK independent provider of waste management solutions and sustainable waste services now offer a waste review service for the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. 
‘The Waste Solution’ provides clinical healthcare and pharmaceutical waste management services, achieving cost reduction by improving efficiency whilst removing risk. They work with local and national companies across the public and private sector to improve employee and customer safety, ensure legislative compliance and minimise the environmental impact of waste disposal. As part of their service for the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare sector, GPT Waste offer a waste review service to audit the waste management processes of entire estates. Their services also include:
- Resource management guidance
- Hazardous waste management programmes
- Pharmaceutical waste disposal
- LEAN process improvement
With an extensive UK network of service providers and their disposal facilities, GPT Waste provide a range of services to all healthcare waste producers, private sector businesses, research companies and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
The Waste Solution provides a fully compliant waste service for all waste, whether its trade, commercial, confidential, hazardous, healthcare and construction waste. Covering the UK with their database of approved national and regional service providers; GPT Waste can deliver the waste solution for any organisation to achieve:
- Improved operational efficiency
- Reduce waste produced
- Financial savings
- Improved recycling
- Reduced carbon consumption
GPT Waste are urging Directors and FM’s of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare estates to consider the following questions when looking at the organisation’s Waste Management Strategy:
1. What is the true cost of your waste?
2. How can you prevent any of this waste?
3. Is there a robust process in place to divert waste from costly landfill disposal?
4. How can you or your waste contractor(s) help you to elevate your waste on the waste hierarchy scale?
Tony Mottram, Commercial Director at The Waste Solution said:
“Through our waste review service, we can support Operations Directors and Facilities Managers of Healthcare and Pharmaceutical estates audit their entire business process to identify waste streams and waste processes.
We look at how many times waste is handled throughout the organisation and we are able to quickly identify where significant cost savings can be made and how the organisation can potentially turn waste streams to revenue. This means that we can help our clients see waste management as a revenue stream and not just a cost” 
Tony Mottram is the Commercial Director from GPT Waste Management
The Waste Solution offers a basic Waste Review Service free of charge. Find out how they can help your business deal more effectively with your waste: Call 0844 854 5000 or email here.
Hospital Waste Management is there to manage waste produced by hospitals using such techniques that will help to check the spread of diseases through it. Not all healthcare and pharmaceutical waste is hazardous however, those which are, need to be disposed of correctly.
Hazardous waste is essentially waste that contains hazardous properties which if mismanaged has the potential to cause greater harm to the environment and human health than non-hazardous. As a result, strict controls apply from the point of its production, to its movement, management, and recovery or disposal.
The healthcare sector ensure that they are disposing of pharmaceutical waste correctly in order to protect the environment as well as human health, GPT Waste Management Ltd are suppliers of waste and recycling services to the health and pharmaceutical sector and ensure that disposal of all hazardous waste is disposed of in compliance with regulations.
According the research done by the World Health Organisation in November of 2011, of the total amount of waste generated by health-care activities, 20% was considered hazardous material.
This 20% of hazardous waste materials therefore needs to be correctly disposed of in compliance with regulations, as they may be infectious, toxic or radioactive.
They also found that annually an estimated 16 000 million injections are administered worldwide, however not all these needles and syringes are being disposed of properly afterwards.
A main benefit of the correct disposal of clinical waste is that it reduces risks to both human health and the environment. Hospital wastes are categorised according to their weight, density and constituents, and can potentially contain harmful microorganisms which can infect hospital patients, health-care workers and the general public.
The waste management services in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors offered by GPT include Resource management guidance, Hazardous waste management programmes and Pharmaceutical waste disposal.
The major sources of health-care waste are:
- hospitals and other health-care establishments
- laboratories and research centres
- mortuary and autopsy centres
- animal research and testing laboratories
- blood banks and collection services
- nursing homes for the elderly.
With an extensive UK network of service providers and their disposal facilities, GPT Waste provide a range of services to NHS trusts, GPs, dentists, pharmaceutical manufacturers, private sector businesses, research companies and many more.
Steps towards improvement
The World Health Organisation also found that high-income countries generate on average up to 0.5kg of hazardous waste per bed per day; while low-income countries generate on average 0.2 kg of hazardous waste per hospital bed per day. However, health-care waste is often not separated into hazardous or non-hazardous wastes in low-income countries making the real quantity of hazardous waste much higher.
Some steps should be taken for the minimisation of hospital waste. Before any clear improvement can be made in medical waste management, consistent and scientifically based definitions must be established as to what is meant by medical waste and its components, and what the goals are. Plans and policies should be laid down for this purpose.
According to the World Health Organisation, improvements in health-care waste management rely on the following key elements:
- building a comprehensive system, addressing responsibilities, resource allocation, handling and disposal. This is a long-term process, sustained by gradual improvements;
- raising awareness of the risks related to health-care waste, and of safe and sound practices;
- selecting safe and environmentally-friendly management options, to protect people from hazards when collecting, handling, storing, transporting, treating or disposing of waste.
GPT Waste provides clinical healthcare and pharmaceutical waste management services, specialising in protecting people and reducing risk. We work with local and national companies across the public and private sector to improve employee and customer safety, ensure legislative compliance and minimise the environmental impact of waste disposal.
To speak to someone about your pharmaceutical and clinical waste disposal requirements, call 0844 854 5000 or email info@gptwaste.com
References:
GPT Waste provides healthcare and pharmaceutical waste services, specialising in protecting people and reducing risk. We work with local and national companies across the public and private sector to improve employee and customer safety, ensure legislative compliance and minimise the environmental impact of waste disposal.
Our services also include:
- Resource management guidance
- Hazardous waste management programmes
- Pharmaceutical waste disposal
With an extensive UK network of service providers and their disposal facilities, we provide a range of services to NHS trusts, GPs, dentists, pharmaceutical manufacturers, private sector businesses, research companies and many more.
To demonstrate previous waste management solutions for the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors, we have produced a number of case studies. To view the latest, download the document here:
We also offer a full Waste Review Service free of charge. Find out how they can help your business deal more effectively with your waste: Call 0844 854 5000 or email here.
Subscribe to The Waste Solution blog by Email or subscribe to the RSS feed to receive regular updates.
GPT Waste is the largest independent provider of waste management solutions across the UK, providing sustainable waste services for its clients.
With over 400 service providers located nationally we deliver a fully compliant offering for all trade, commercial, confidential, hazardous, healthcare and construction waste, whilst delivering client specific focussed efficiencies.
“We have found GPT’s approach to consolidating our National waste management requirements, as well as adhering to a recycling strategy, effortless and have benefited from a 22% cost saving over our previous arrangements.”
National Pharmaceuticals Company
To find out how we can help your business deal more effectively with your waste phone 01928 571 349 or email us
GPT Waste offer a full Waste Review Service free of charge. Find out how they can help your business deal more effectively with your waste: Call 01928 571 349 or email here.
Subscribe to The Waste Solution blog by Email or subscribe to the RSS feed to receive regular updates.