Have you met our Waste Porters at Harrogate District Hospital?
If you have been on site at Harrogate District Hospital over the last few months, you may have noticed some colleagues in bright orange polo shirts, collecting and removing our waste. These are our Waste Management Porters and they are definitely unsung heroes!
Our Waste Management Porters will start work at around 6am to commence their rounds. They travel all across the hospital site, collecting linen, ward waste, general waste, as well as food waste and hazardous waste streams.
Waste Management is a highly regulated area of work. Our team will also arrange the disposal of specialised items such as clinical waste, ensuring this is completed in a safe, environmentally friendly, manner, following strict guidelines and government legislation to ensure no harm is caused by waste disposal.
Our Waste Management Porters walk over 10 miles every day.
They also sort waste into a variety of disposal receptacles to ensure all waste is disposed of appropriately. Whilst Harrogate District Hospital does not have specifically separated recycle bins on site and all of our general waste is separated and sorted off-site to ensure we fully comply with current recycling regulations. This means we do not need to take up valuable space on our wards and corridors with extra bins.
Our Waste Management Porters play a key role in supporting the delivery of the HDFT Green Plan, which includes a target to achieve a 5% reduction in overall waste by March 2028, with a particular focus on reducing food waste.
As a team who traverse the length and breadth of Harrogate District Hospital on a daily basis, they also undertake the unofficial task of helping visitors (and staff!) with finding their way around our site and they often receive positive feedback that they are so friendly and helpful. If you ever need some directional assistance, make sure to look out for the orange polo shirts and a big smile!
We are extremely proud of our Waste Management Team. They work extremely hard to keep our site free from waste and safe from hazardous materials and we are delighted to be able to showcase their efforts. Their commitment ensures that essential services run without interruption, sustainability goals are met, and both patients and staff benefit from a safe and clean environment. These colleagues combining operational excellence with environmental responsibility, they embody the values of care, teamwork, and commitment that define our organisation.
If you have a positive interaction with one of our Waste Management Teams, don’t forget that you can nominate them for one of our Making a Difference Awards by emailing [email protected].
If you would like more information about HIF or the work that we do, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].