Socio-environmental sustainability and Upcycling of health service waste towards sustainability: Reuse of Spundbond Meltblown Spundbond (SMS)

Abstract

This work aimed to define the steps for the Safe Capture of postconsumer Spundbond Meltblow Spundbond (SMS) non-woven fabric, and to estimate the generation of this material providing conditions for new uses through upcycling in a Surgical Center of a public hospital for means of application in socio-environmental projects. This is a descriptive, exploratory longitudinal study with a quantitative approach. As a result, a proposition was obtained for a new separation system for specific medical waste that is difficult to recycle, called Safe Capture in the Operating Room, as well as the implementation of SMS reuse in new products developed through upcycling, such as ecobags for make available to patients at the University Hospital of Londrina- HU. With the estimated generation of 140.89 grams per surgery or 18 SMS blankets of different sizes, the possibility of planning a storage infrastructure for this material for use in socio-environmental projects was envisaged through the development of products based on upcycling with focus on the circular economy, in this case reported and already implemented, the creative sewing workshop in partnership with the State Penitentiary of Londrina-PEL 02 where 3000 ecobags are made per month to store the belongings of patients, which caused a reduction of a portion of waste that would go to the infectious waste collector and, at the same time, replaced the use of plastic bags with ecobags, reducing costs. Currently, the possibility of using SMS has been expanded to other application niches such as interior design and the pet market, in partnership with the Veterinary Hospital of the State University of Londrina, which will revert part of the income from sales of pet products so that the Muda Project have a self-management for the purchase of new equipment and trimmings for the manufacture of products.