Sustainability
Report 2020
Meny
60-year-old Envac systems continue to promote
in Sweden
Some Envac hospital systems installed in the 1960s continue to drive hospital efficiency, promote good working environments for staff, and help to reduce the risk of hospital infection.
“We have naturally replaced and upgraded certain parts but much of the original machinery is still there, and the system has performed very well over the past six decades,”
“Compared with our other sites in the region that don’t have a waste collection system, we have significantly lower waste transport, environmental footprint and of course financial costs in Sollefteå.”
The system continues to optimise waste management at the hospital. In fact, a benchmarking study in 2013 concluded that Sollefteå Hospital had the most efficient waste management system of all hospitals in Sweden.
Infrastructure for a sustainable society
“As the system has few moving parts, I don’t actually see a limit to the technical lifespan of our system,” concludes Jacobsson. “It really shows how important it is to take a smart and long-term perspective on sustainability decisions and particularly regarding creating infrastructure for a sustainable society.”
Efficiency and reduced risk of infection at Södersjukhuset hospital
Södersjukhuset, one of the largest hospitals in Stockholm, was equipped with an Envac system in 1972. Today, the system has inlets in 70 different rooms and is used to collect waste, plastic and dirty linen from the hospital. The system’s single collection terminal outside the hospital site saves a great deal of valuable hospital space and ensures more space for healthcare functions.
“Our automated system ensures the efficient use of our hospital resources, reduces the number of staff we need for the collection of waste and linen, and promotes a better working environment for them by avoiding heavy lifting,”
explains Patrik Bergman, Technical Manager Locum AB a part of Region Stockholm. “Waste is collected in containers that are compressed to further reduce the need for waste collection transport.”
Reducing the risk of infection
Linen is colour coded by hospital staff to indicate the risk of infection and is deposited in the closed collection system to avoid moving potentially infected linen around the hospital. The collection staff are also specially trained to manage the linen in a way that minimises the risk of infection at the terminal.
Further system refinements
“In 2018, we upgraded the system with a new terminal building, control system and filter, and began collecting plastic,” says Bergman. “During 2020, we continued to refine the system and in the next few years we plan to improve user information through films, brochures and digital screens. We hope this will further improve the efficiency of our system at Södersjukhuset.”
Envac AB
Fleminggatan 7, 3tr
SE-112 26 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel: +46 8 785 00 10
Corporate web site:
www.envacgroup.com