Solutions directory

Products helping hospitals cut plastic waste

A curated directory of companies offering real, deployed solutions compostable supplies, reprocessed devices, closed loop recycling, and more. Use it to benchmark your sourcing or scope a pilot program.

42 of 42 solutions
Compostable suppliesFeatured
BioGown compostable isolation gown
Terraloam

The first closed loop, 100% compostable medical isolation gown. Replaces single use plastic gowns with a plant based alternative collected and composted through a take back program.

Impact: 176K+ gowns diverted from landfill, 95% collection rate, Premier Innovation Award winner.
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Recycling & circularityFeatured
BioDigester on site composter
Terraloam

On site aerobic digester that turns up to 220 lbs of hospital food waste and Terraloam compostable film gowns into finished compost in 24 hours closing the loop between cafeteria and clinical waste streams.

Impact: Diverts ~40 tons/yr of combined food waste and compostable PPE per unit from landfill or incineration with no off site hauling.
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Reusable / reprocessed devicesFeatured
Single use device reprocessing
Stryker Sustainability Solutions

Largest reprocessor of single use medical devices in the U.S., recovering EP catheters, pulse oximeter sensors, compression sleeves and more for safe reuse.

Impact: ~$1B saved across 3,000+ customers and 26M+ lbs of waste diverted from landfill.
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Reusable / reprocessed devices
ReNewal device reprocessing
Medline

Reprocesses single use devices and repairs rigid/flexible scopes, extending product life while maintaining FDA cleared clinical performance.

Impact: Customers like Sharp HealthCare report seven figure annual savings plus large landfill diversion.
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Surgical fluid & sharps
Sylva surgical suction bag
Serres

Next generation suction fluid collection bag designed to use significantly less plastic per case than legacy rigid canister systems.

Impact: Up to ~70% less plastic per OR fluid management setup vs. traditional rigid canisters.
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Recycling & circularity
GENERATIONS closed loop lab plastic recycling
BD + Envetec

On site treatment system that decontaminates and recycles polystyrene petri dishes, PET tubes, medical tubing and polypropylene syringes back into usable resin.

Impact: Pilot study confirmed recovered resin meets virgin grade specs for re manufacture into healthcare plastics.
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Packaging
TRUCIRCLE medical packaging
Coveris + SABIC

First closed loop recycling model for sterile medical packaging non contaminated hospital packaging waste is collected, chemically recycled, and turned back into new sterile film.

Impact: Live pilot with Zuyderland Medical Center and Artivion proving circular sterile packaging at scale.
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Compostable supplies
Plastic free medication cup
Plastilose

First fully plastic free, PFAS free medication cup, made from bacterial cellulose. Naturally biodegrades in ~3 months and is ISO 10993 biocompatibility tested.

Impact: Replaces billions of single use plastic souffle cups used for med pass each year.
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Reusable / reprocessed devices
Remanufactured EP & ultrasound catheters
Vanguard AG

European leader in reprocessing complex single use cardiology and ultrasound catheters under EU MDR, returning them to OEM equivalent quality.

Impact: Up to 50% device cost savings and major reduction in cath lab plastic + e waste.
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Reusable / reprocessed devices
EP & cardiology device reprocessing
Innovative Health

Specialty reprocessor focused on the highest cost single use electrophysiology and cardiology devices that other reprocessors won't touch.

Impact: Hospitals report 7 figure cath/EP lab savings and thousands of devices diverted annually.
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Surgical fluid & sharps
Mailback sharps & pharma waste
Sharps Compliance (Sharps Medical Waste Services)

Mailback containers and route based pickup that consolidate sharps, RX, and trace chemo waste to reduce single use red bag plastic and unnecessary regulated waste tonnage.

Impact: Cuts overclassified regulated medical waste, the most expensive and plastic heavy waste stream in hospitals.
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Packaging
Sustainable Edition surgical packs
Cardinal Health

Custom surgical procedure packs redesigned with right sized components and recyclable wrap to cut OR plastic and packaging waste at the point of care.

Impact: Pilot sites report double digit reductions in pack weight and OR blue wrap volume.
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Packaging
Renewable IV bag & PVC reduction program
Baxter

PVC and DEHP free IV containers (e.g. AVIVA / VIAFLEX next gen) plus take back recycling of IV bags and overwraps from participating hospitals.

Impact: Removes phthalates from patient contact and recycles millions of lbs of clean IV plastic annually.
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Anesthesia & pharma
Anesthesia gas capture (Centralized waste anesthetic gas)
SageMedic / Sage Sustainable Electronics

Capture and destroy systems for waste anesthetic gases (desflurane, sevoflurane, N₂O) that prevent potent greenhouse gas release and cut volatile pharma waste.

Impact: Mass General Brigham and others report 80%+ reductions in anesthesia carbon footprint.
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Food service
Plant based compostable foodservice ware
Vegware

Compostable cups, lids, cutlery and clamshells for hospital cafeterias and patient meal trays certified industrially compostable.

Impact: Replaces petroleum plastics in one of hospitals' largest non clinical waste streams.
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Food service
Compostable patient meal service
World Centric

BPI certified compostable trays, bowls and utensils used by health systems including Kaiser Permanente for patient meals.

Impact: Eliminates millions of foam and PP meal containers per year at deployed systems.
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Anesthesia & pharma
Pharma waste segregation software
PharmEcology (WM Healthcare Solutions)

Decision support tool that correctly classifies drug waste so hospitals stop disposing non hazardous pharma in expensive, plastic heavy regulated waste streams.

Impact: Customers cut hazardous pharma waste tonnage by 30 60% on average.
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Recycling & circularityStartup
On site lab plastics recycling
LabCycle

UK university spin out (NHS Innovation Accelerator fellow) that decontaminates and recycles lab consumables pipette tips, tubes, plates into reusable polymer feedstock on site.

Impact: Pilots with NHS trusts and Bristol Uni diverting tonnes of lab plastic from incineration.
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PackagingStartup
Bio based medical grade plastics
BIOVOX

German startup (€2.2M seed, HTGF backed) producing medically certified bioplastics as drop in replacements for fossil PP/PE in syringes, IV components and packaging.

Impact: Up to 80% lower carbon footprint vs. fossil medical plastics, MDR compatible.
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Compostable suppliesStartup
Compostable hydrocolloid wound dressing
Dermeco

Finnish startup making the first fully ecological hydrocolloid dressing decomposes to CO₂, water and humus with no microplastic residue.

Impact: Replaces petroleum based wound dressings, a high volume bedside waste stream.
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Recycling & circularityStartup
Scrubs & medical wear from recycled PET
Upcycled Medical

Small UK manufacturer turning post consumer PET bottles into durable, NHS suitable scrubs and medical apparel.

Impact: ~26 plastic bottles diverted per scrub set; cuts virgin polyester in healthcare uniforms.
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PackagingStartup
Seaweed based home compostable bioplastic
SymbioTex

Early stage materials startup producing seaweed derived films and rigid bioplastics that home compost without industrial facilities targeting medical packaging and disposables.

Impact: Drop in replacement for fossil films, no microplastic shedding.
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Compostable suppliesStartup
OKOmer biodegradable polymer
ÖKOSIX

Hong Kong startup with a patented biodegradable polymer engineered for medical disposables masks, gowns, tubing and packaging that breaks down without microplastics.

Impact: Targets the millions of tons of incinerated single use medical plastic each year.
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PackagingStartup
PHA biodegradable medical packaging
PHBrite Technologies

North American startup developing PHA based biodegradable plastics for sterile medical packaging and disposables as a fossil plastic replacement.

Impact: Marine and soil biodegradable end of life for a notoriously hard to recycle stream.
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Reusable / reprocessed devices
Genesis Bi Wing AAP reusable surgical positioning platform
Infinitus Medical Technologies

Reusable, standardized patient handling and positioning platforms for Trendelenburg and robotic surgery that replace disposable memory foam pads and single use positioning accessories.

Impact: 17 25 minute improvement in robotic dock time per procedure; eliminates draw sheet lifting and single use foam waste from OR positioning.
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Recycling & circularity
Blue wrap recycling & upcycled inpatient products
Circular Blu

Collects sterile blue wrap from hospital ORs and remanufactures it into patient gowns, tote bags and other inpatient supplies, closing the loop on one of the largest OR plastic streams.

Impact: Active programs at University of Vermont Medical Center and other systems diverting tens of tons of blue wrap from landfill annually.
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Recycling & circularity
Blue Renew sterilization wrap recycling
Halyard (Owens & Minor)

Take back program for used Halyard sterilization wrap that consolidates OR wrap waste and recycles it into new plastic products through a national logistics network.

Impact: Participating hospitals report 20 40% reductions in OR landfill waste by volume.
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Surgical fluid & sharps
Reusable sharps containers
Sharpsmart (Daniels Health)

Clinically engineered reusable sharps containers that are collected, robotically washed and returned to service hundreds of times, replacing single use plastic sharps bins.

Impact: Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust eliminated 15 tonnes of plastic in year one after switching from single use sharps containers.
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Packaging
Right sized reusable surgical trays & custom packs
SteriPack / Mölnlycke ProcedurePak

Custom procedure trays redesigned with clinician input to remove rarely used items and switch rigid disposable trays for reusable, sterilizable trays.

Impact: NHS trusts report 30 50% reductions in unused single use items per surgical case after tray redesign.
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Anesthesia & pharma
SID waste anesthetic gas capture & recycling
ANAESTHETIC GAS RECLAMATION (Baxter / SageTech)

Closed canister system that captures exhaled volatile anesthetics from scavenging lines and ships them back for purification and resale as pharmaceutical grade product.

Impact: UK NHS pilots (Solent, Royal Cornwall) recovered >90% of sevoflurane and cut anesthesia carbon footprint by an estimated 27,000 tCO2e at scale.
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Reusable / reprocessed devices
Reusable tourniquets program
Revital Healthcare

Switch from single use plastic tourniquets to washable reusable tourniquets in phlebotomy and ward settings, validated in NHS trials.

Impact: Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust trial showed equivalent infection control with elimination of ~250,000 single use plastic tourniquets per year per trust.
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Packaging
TRUCIRCLE certified circular sterile wrap
SABIC + Zuyderland Medical Center

Live pilot collecting non contaminated sterile packaging from Zuyderland's ORs and chemically recycling it back into ISCC PLUS certified circular polymer for new medical packaging.

Impact: First closed loop sterile packaging stream in a European hospital, scaling toward full Zuyderland coverage and replication at Artivion.
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Reusable / reprocessed devicesStartup
Reusable urine sample container
RafaGen / Pee in a Pot (SBRI Healthcare)

SBRI Healthcare backed reusable urine specimen pot designed to replace billions of single use plastic sample containers in NHS pathways. Currently in Somerset NHS Foundation Trust trials.

Impact: Targeting elimination of ~150 million single use urine pots used by the NHS each year.
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Recycling & circularity
Advanced (chemical) recycling of clinical plastics
Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC)

Multi year HPRC pilot validating pyrolysis and dissolution based recycling of mixed clinical plastics (PP, PE, multilayer films) that mechanical recycling cannot handle, with hospital, hauler and converter partners.

Impact: 2025 white paper confirms technical and economic feasibility of advanced recycling for non infectious hospital plastic at commercial scale.
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Reusable / reprocessed devicesStartup
OR single use device take back & reuse
Greenloop Medical

European startup partnering with hospitals to collect, decontaminate and redistribute high value single use OR instruments under EU MDR, focused on laparoscopic and orthopedic tools.

Impact: Early adopters report 30 60% cost reduction per instrument and significant OR waste diversion.
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Reusable / reprocessed devices
Nellcor reusable SpO₂ sensor
Medtronic

Direct drop-in replacement for single-use adhesive pulse oximeter probes. Same monitor, same workflow — clinicians swap the disposable probe for a cleanable reusable sensor.

Impact: Peer-reviewed ED study (West J Emerg Med, 2023) showed 56% lower acquisition cost and ~$30K/month savings at a 70K-visit ED, plus equivalent plastic-bottle-sized waste reduction per unit.
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Compostable supplies
Pulp single-use macerated bedpans & reusable supports
Vernacare

Switch from rigid plastic bedpans, urinals and kidney dishes to moulded pulp disposables macerated on-ward, paired with reusable plastic carrier supports — a long-proven swap across the NHS.

Impact: Replaces an estimated 200+ million single-use plastic bedside items per year in the NHS; pulp items break down in seconds in the macerator.
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Reusable / reprocessed devices
Reusable stainless steel kidney dishes
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals (Green Nursing Challenge)

Documented ward-level swap replacing single-use plastic kidney dishes with autoclavable stainless steel — a Green Nursing Challenge case study other trusts are now copying.

Impact: Eliminates thousands of single-use plastic dishes per ward per year with no clinical workflow change; payback under 12 months.
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Food service
Reusable cup system for hospitals
FSG Returnables + Borealis

Closed-loop reusable cup scheme for hospital cafes, staff areas and patient drinks — cups are returned, washed and recirculated, replacing single-use coffee cups and lids.

Impact: Live deployment across UK NHS sites cutting hundreds of thousands of disposable cups per hospital per year.
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Reusable / reprocessed devices
Reusable surgical gowns & textiles
Encompass Group

AAMI Level 3/4 reusable surgical gowns, drapes and warming blankets laundered through hospital linen partners — a direct swap for disposable SMS gowns and drapes.

Impact: Peer-reviewed LCAs show ~50% lower energy use, ~40% lower CO₂ and ~90% less solid waste vs. disposables per OR case.
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Reusable / reprocessed devices
Reusable patient warming mattress
Inditherm Medical

Carbon polymer warming mattress that replaces single-use forced-air warming blankets in the OR and recovery — no disposable blanket waste per case.

Impact: Eliminates one disposable warming blanket per surgical patient (millions per year per large system) with comparable normothermia outcomes.
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Reusable / reprocessed devicesStartup
Reusable PPE & surgical gown service
Revolution-Zero

UK-based circular service supplying laundered reusable gowns, masks and PPE to NHS trusts, with collection, decontamination and redistribution managed end-to-end.

Impact: Cornwall NHS pilot showed >90% reduction in PPE carbon footprint and full elimination of disposable plastic gown waste on participating wards.
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Know a solution we should add? This directory is curated and updated regularly. Listings are informational and do not imply endorsement.