Tameside Hospital wages war on plastic

Tameside Hospital is banning all plastic from its restaurant as part of Save Planet Tameside and Glossop - a campaign to offset its carbon footprint and manage sustainable development within the Trust.

Starting this week, all knives, forks, spoons, and food packaging is being replaced with paper and wooden alternatives. The restaurant uses almost nine tons of these items every year - equivalent in weight to 400 standard wheelchairs or 20 hospital beds. 

Chief Executive Karen James explains: “I have learned that petroleum-based plastic is not biodegradable and usually goes into a landfill where it is buried or it gets into the water and finds it’s way into the ocean.

“Although plastic will not biodegrade (decompose into natural substance like soil) it will degrade (break down) into tiny particles after many years. In the process of breaking down, it releases toxic chemicals, additives that were used to shape and harden the plastic, which make their way into our food and water supply.

“So, for example, the plastic knives and forks we’ve replaced today can take up to 450 years to decompose, while the wooden cutlery we’ve replaced them with takes just over a year. And the poly cups and plates we’ve been using can take between up to a million years to decompose while the same items in paper take just 60 days.” 

Paul Featherstone, the hospital’s Director of Estates and Facilities, has put together a detailed plan on how to best manage sustainable development within the Trust. 

He says: “Tameside and Glossop is ranked the fifth most deprived local authority in the country, and we have the highest premature death rate for heart disease in England. 

“As one of the borough’s major employers we must play an ever-important role in contributing towards a greener and healthier environment. Over the coming months we will be announcing radical and pioneering ways we plan to offset our carbon footprint.”

Tameside Council also announced this week that the borough’s markets will be making a major push to cut the amount of single-use plastics routinely wasted – and get rid of avoidable single-use plastics entirely from Tameside Markets by 2024.

The move began with the launch of compostable plastic bags intended to replace non-biodegradable bags.

Cllr Alison Gwynne, the council’s executive lead for the markets, said: “Our new-style ‘green bag’ is made from renewable plant-based ingredients, from sustainable sources, and it’s 100 per cent biodegradable. You can re-use the bags as kitchen caddy-liners and they can go in the compost along with food waste.”

The bags will cost customers just 5p – a charge intended simply to encourage customers to consider whether a bag is required before purchasing one.

Cllr Gwynne added: “Ashton Indoor Market now has its own Refill Station, which is situated in Tameside Wellbeing Corner. So shoppers can refill their reusable water bottles for free, to help stay hydrated and healthy on the go as well as reducing plastic bottle waste.”

The new Refill Station was donated by United Utilities, and is part of the national Refill Scheme, which has 16,000 Refill Stations nationwide including more than 40 in Tameside, all part of a major national drive to cut single-use plastic.

Steve Hadfield, the council’s markets and business development manager, said: “There are some great examples of traders already taking some great steps to reduce plastics. 

“Some traders have already replaced plastic cutlery with wooden or bamboo alternatives, or swapped plastic food trays for cardboard. A lot of shoppers are helping by bringing their own reusable hot drinks cups.”