Caring for the environment as well as patients has led to Hawke's Bay Hospital anaesthetic technician Peter Young being dubbed the "Recycling King" for his efforts to promote waste recycling at the hospital's surgical services department.
For the past three years Young has taken it upon himself to keep the department's staff on their toes ensuring everything that could be recycled was recycled, and his positive attitude and sense of humour has rubbed off on the theatre team, who were making great strides, he said.
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While there were recycling bins for general waste, paper and cardboard and plastics, a focus was ensuring items such as PVC IV fluid and oxygen tubing were disposed of appropriately so they could be recycled into alternative products.
"I get the odd surgeon who will throw a pair of gloves in a recycling bin meant for oxygen tubing or the likes, so I'll hunt them down in the tearoom and dangle the gloves in their face to give them a little telling off."