Scotland’s Climate Week stories – a day in the life of a Waste Management Officer
Scotland’s Climate Week is an opportunity to celebrate and encourage climate action. A chance to learn more about what we can all do to help.
Sorting our waste correctly is an important way we can all help to keep people safe, protect our NHS and reduce our environmental impact.
Every one of us produces waste, whether you work in an operating theatre or a ward, a warehouse or a lab, an office or behind the wheel.
We all have a part to play – and we can all make a difference if we think before we throw.
Meet Jamie
Jamie Watt, Porter, NHS Shetland
We caught up with Jamie Watt (Porter, NHS Shetland) who is also the Waste Management Officer for NHS Shetland.
Hi Jamie, can you tell us a bit about your role, and how your work is helping to make NHSScotland more sustainable?
I suppose you could define my role as more of a waste operative, as my now retired manager would say, ‘You’re at the coal face’.
We all produce waste, so we all have a responsibility to ensure all waste is sorted correctly for disposal.
Part of my role involves doing what are called ‘pre-acceptance audits’ (PAAs). Clinical waste needs assessed before it is collected, so all boards need to provide PAAs to our clinical waste contractor before they will accept waste for disposal. These audits tell the contractor what waste is being generated and ensures waste is disposed of in the correct way. Some materials like plastics and metal found within clinical waste streams can even be recycled.
While all NHS staff have a legal responsibility to sort waste correctly, for myself I need to make sure it is collected, transferred and stored appropriately. Of course, getting it off the island is another matter entirely. Regulations mean anyone transporting this waste must hold a license – in Shetland that’s either a local haulier or one of three specially-trained staff, of which I am one.
Working in a remote community such as the Shetland Islands certainly has its challenges, but positives too. For example, some of our waste goes to our local Energy Recovery Plant which helps to heat not only homes, shops and the schools but the hospital as well, through= the Lerwick District Heating Scheme.
What does a normal day look like for you?
Every day is different, often full of meetings, filling out paperwork for waste transfers, doing audits or sorting waste for shipping – but I suppose a typical day always starts with a mug of tea!
I’ll often be seen checking bins, and there is always waste for sorting. NHS Shetland also has several customers whose clinical waste we collect for disposal – on the islands it’s a real partnership approach. They also need to have a PAA and guidance, so I provide charts and in-person training where needed.
Occasionally some unusual items can appear which can be a challenge, but I like a challenge.
One challenge I’m working on at the moment is reducing the amount of plastic we use in regard to clinical waste. For example, if we can get expired medicines and medicines that patients have returned to pharmacies collected in cardboard fiber boxes, we could then dispose of them at the local ERP – saving the transport and fuel costs associated with sending off the island, and generating heat for the district heating scheme.
How did you become a Waste Management Officer? Can you tell us more about your journey into working in sustainability and waste management?
I’ve worked as a Porter since 2003 and was also the Porter Supervisor for about seven years, before I was asked by the Head of Estates who was also the WMO if I’d be willing to be seconded for a few months on doing PAAs. I agreed. This then got extended for another few months as it turned into a bigger job than was first thought.
And the job has just gotten bigger, from attending national waste groups to looking at an Environmental Management System for NHS Shetland, and from working on projects like a new lab autoclave (these sterilise equipment) to extending more recycling across our board (namely batteries, paper and cardboard).
I’ve also been involved in getting a new food drier to help with the food waste ban to landfill, and have worked on getting the hospital set up as a Waste Transfer Station (WTS) among other things. With the WTS process, this meant I had to be registered (and approved by SEPA) to allow me to be in charge of the site.
During the past 18 months, I also began to do more of a WMO role as my manager was reducing his hours looking to retire. I’m currently looking to apply for chartered membership of CIWM (Chartered Institution of Waste Management).
It’s been an interesting time looking at how we reduce what goes into clinical waste especially orange bags, and it’s good to work with our infection control colleagues to find safe, appropriate solutions.
It costs us up to 3 times more to dispose of clinical waste compared to general waste, so this is worth focusing on. For rural island communities it is even more as we have to transport it off the island first.
Often procedures being done have prep work beforehand, for example single use items are opened and the packaging might end up in an orange bag, usually this a plastic film and paper backing which has never been near a patient. Our challenge locally is what we can recycle. We only have one source for recycling collections on our islands which is done by the local council. There are limits on what can be collected by infrastructure and shipping costs. The cost of shipping is such a big factor. Only in the past few weeks can plastic tubs like yogurt pots or margarine tubs be collected for recycling.
What does taking climate action mean to you?
Everyone can do their part even if it’s just thinking about going somewhere – do I need to drive or can I walk or cycle? Or if I do need to drive, can I car share? I live in a rural area, fortunately I can work from home occasionally if there’s lots of online meetings or paperwork to do, which saves a trip in the car. I know a lot of people who will car share in the mornings, and we do have a decent bus service too.
More staff in NHS Shetland are taking up cycling, and with the hospital and offices about a ten-minute walk apart, I often see staff walking between them – even on the cold days. It’s good to see people walking rather than take cars.
We have an event every year in Shetland called ‘Da Voar Redd Up’, one of the largest community litter-picking events in the UK, which plays huge role in protecting Shetland’s environment and wildlife.
Having taken part many times I’m amazed – and appalled – at what either is washed ashore or thrown out of cars on the roads.
Education is so important. Locally the schools take part in Redd Up week, but I believe it begins at home, if children see recycling at home, it becomes a normal part of their daily lives.
How can people get involved?
Just make a start, no matter how small. Gather up your plastic wrappers and next time you go to the supermarket, drop them off.
There are so many ways we can make a difference. One example from here in Shetland is a local community project for paint. This was for open tins which were no longer needed after redecorating at home and rather than dump it, they’re given to a local charity, which checks it’s useable and then re-sells for a small amount.
Brilliant idea, and shows how even something you don’t want, whether it’s clothes, tools or old pots of paint, can be just what someone needs. As the quote goes, ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’, which I’m sure we can all relate to.
Photo by Mark Newberry