Recycling of healthcare plastic waste in Finland : sustainable alternative solutions : a life cycle assessment
Ghaffari, Masoud (2025)
Diplomityö
2025
School of Energy Systems, Ympäristötekniikka
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2025060662129
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2025060662129
Tiivistelmä
Healthcare facilities generate significant amounts of plastic waste, posing environmental and regulatory challenges. This study evaluates sustainable recycling techniques for healthcare plastic waste (HCPW) in Finland using a life cycle assessment (LCA) to analyse alternative waste management strategies. The research examines current waste management practices in hospitals worldwide, with a specific focus on Finnish hospitals. It explores the environmental impact of various treatment methods, including mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, and incineration. A case study from Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) is assessed, focusing on the Meilahti hospital plastic waste streams in 2023.
A LCA was conducted to compare different plastic waste treatment scenarios, using the 370 tons of plastic waste generated by Meilahti hospital in 2023 as the functional unit. The results indicate that chemical recycling, when combined with mechanical recycling, provides the most environmentally sustainable solution. This approach achieves the highest recycling rate (51%), the lowest emissions (220 tons of CO₂-eq), and a 58% reduction in net emissions compared to the dominant incineration approach in baseline with 522 tons of CO₂-eq. However, contamination risks and high energy demands in sterilization technique and chemical recycling, remain significant challenges. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that mechanical recycling is highly dependent on efficient sorting and the incineration of rejected mixed plastic waste, whereas chemical recycling exhibits greater resilience to variations in waste separation efficiency.
The findings emphasize the critical role of improved waste separation at the source, policy interventions, and advancements in recycling technologies to enhance sustainability in healthcare waste management. This research underscores the importance of structured national strategy to integrate recycling into Finland’s healthcare sector, aligning with circular economy goals.
A LCA was conducted to compare different plastic waste treatment scenarios, using the 370 tons of plastic waste generated by Meilahti hospital in 2023 as the functional unit. The results indicate that chemical recycling, when combined with mechanical recycling, provides the most environmentally sustainable solution. This approach achieves the highest recycling rate (51%), the lowest emissions (220 tons of CO₂-eq), and a 58% reduction in net emissions compared to the dominant incineration approach in baseline with 522 tons of CO₂-eq. However, contamination risks and high energy demands in sterilization technique and chemical recycling, remain significant challenges. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that mechanical recycling is highly dependent on efficient sorting and the incineration of rejected mixed plastic waste, whereas chemical recycling exhibits greater resilience to variations in waste separation efficiency.
The findings emphasize the critical role of improved waste separation at the source, policy interventions, and advancements in recycling technologies to enhance sustainability in healthcare waste management. This research underscores the importance of structured national strategy to integrate recycling into Finland’s healthcare sector, aligning with circular economy goals.