Medical waste: the University Hospital of Besançon reduces its environmental footprint

From internal collection to re-use, medical and clinical waste at the University Hospital of Besançon is fully managed by SUEZ through a scalable integrated solution approach. This lasting partnership meets multiple requirements, including safety, compliance and budget optimisation
The mission

Manage medical waste from end to end to ensure quality and safety

Like many other hospitals, the University Hospital of Besançon is subject to dual requirements concerning its waste. The French DASRI legislation on medical and infectious waste supplements the national Environmental code which requires appropriate management of the waste produced by hospitals. The hospital must therefore organise the elimination or optimisation of its waste in precise steps: sorting, packing, storage, transport, disposal on approved sites. 
 
Encouraging sorting within the Besançon University Hospital is achieved under a tight budget, requiring the professional management of collection and daily supervision of hospital staff.
 
A requirement that is handled by SUEZ, a partner of the hospital since 2005. We remove and process the waste streams while providing sorting advice and a continuous improvement approach. In 2010, the hospital extended the activities entrusted to SUEZ, appointing us as its overall waste management provider.
 
600.000
per year
Number of medical consultations per year at Besançon university hospital
600
tonnes
of medical and infectious waste produced per year
1.200
tonnes/year
waste from economic activities managed by the Besançon hospital
Our solutions

Waste management according to hospital rules and culture

Our solutions

SUEZ employees are responsible for the disposal of medical waste and its conversion to energy, while guaranteeing health & safety, compliance and budget optimisation.
 
A single provider for multiple missions
SUEZ assigned a crew of 6 specialists to work at the Besançon hospital on a daily basis. 
 
Custom and scalable solutions for teams and hospital unit issues
In accordance with changes to regulatory, environmental and economic issues at play in the hospital, the integrated waste management solution has been expanded over time to include selective sorting of recoverable waste streams (bottles, cans, biowaste, etc.). SUEZ aligned its solution to focus on issues specific to the hospital's situation, primarily by delivering operational and economic responses in terms of:  
  • a professional approach to waste management, 
  • awareness of personnel, 
  • safety of collection and security of storage locations.
The results

A full-featured, responsive and scalable solution

A full-featured, responsive and scalable solution

The efficiency of the system relies partly on the capacity of SUEZ to take into consideration the operational factors of the hospital environment: 
  • unit organisation (building layout, services, certification),
  • working hours, 
  • use of goods lifts and specific access routes, 
  • observance of hygiene rules, 
  • discretion of collection rounds. 
 
Protection of the environment and a sustainable development approach were also looked at closely. 
 
Strong management of different types of waste 
Expert support from SUEZ and our hands-on approach ensure the best possible recovery of multiple waste categories on the hospital site: biowaste, paper, cardboard, plastic, metal scrap, etc. Expertise that has contributed to the first accreditations for the establishment.


Continuous improvement approach
As long-term partners, SUEZ and the University Hospital of Besançon monitor the quality and development of the service through regular re-assessments. SUEZ also provides proactive regulatory intelligence for the hospital.
 
50
tonnes
of biowaste reused per year
18
tonnes
of hazardous waste managed annually
200
tonnes
of card and paper collected and processed every year