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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES BY DEPUTY P.V.F. LE CLAIRE OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY, 10th OCTOBER 2006
Question
Would the Minister inform the Assembly what issues, if any, exist for the Health and Social Services Department's in relation to the disposal of clinical waste both now and in the future and would he also give details of the costs of this service to the Department?
Answer
Clinical waste is defined as human or animal tissue or other bodily fluids, dressings or swabs. Also disposed of in clinical waste are all rubber gloves, masks, plastic aprons and incontinence wipes and pads.
Clinical waste from all Health and Social Services hospitals, residential nursing homes, day centres and other clinical areas are sealed in clearly labelled yellow bags which are then stored in purpose made yellow bins.
These bins are then collected and delivered by Health and Social Services staff to the purpose built clinical waste incinerator which is sited at Bellozanne and was first commissioned in September 1998.
The present cost of incineration is 69 pence per kilogram (kg).
In 2005 a total of 250,395 kg cost £171,571 to incinerate.
The first 6 months of 2006 saw a total of 106,074 kg cost £69,648 to incinerate.
An energy manager is to be recruited by Property Holdings and it has been agreed that part of the manager's role will be to monitor and reduce clinical waste along with other sources of energy. It is proposed the energy manager will be seconded to Health and Social Services for the first period of his/her employment.