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OUH commits to reducing plastic waste on NHS Sustainability Day

21/03/2019
This article is more than five years old.

To mark NHS Sustainability Day on 21 March 2019, OUH will be joining Refill Oxford, part of a national scheme to encourage people to use tap water to cut down on the use of single-use plastic water bottles.

As affiliates, all OUH food and drink outlets - at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and Horton General Hospital - are now Refill stations and display a round, blue-branded Refill sticker. OUH staff and visitors will be invited to fill up their water bottles for free to reduce the use of the plastic water bottles across the Trust.

Refill Oxford has a network of over 160 Refill stations - in cafes, bars, restaurants, pubs, clubs, universities, the bus station and even hairdressers all over the city. Everyone can now refill their water bottles for free rather than buying a new plastic one.

Those who live, work, or visit Oxfordshire can download the free Refill app on their phone to find out where all Refill stations are, and access free tap water on the go. It is a simple idea - Refill links people who want water to taps, with the aim of reducing the 7.7 billion single-use plastic bottles bought in the UK each year.

Dr Vall Rasaratnam, Energy and Sustainability Manager at Oxford University Hospitals, said: "These days, we're all more aware of the impact of plastics on the environment. Taking part in this scheme will help us further reduce the numbers of plastic bottles and encourage people to drink more water, which is very good for health.

"We're really pleased to get officially involved in the Refill initiative on NHS Sustainability Day because we want our NHS to be fit for the future.

"As a Trust committed to improving its sustainability, this is a significant step in the direction of reducing not only our own carbon footprint but that of the thousands of people including staff, patients, visitors and students who attend our hospitals every day."

Georgina Matthews, Programme Manager at Refill Oxford, said: "Refill Oxford is part of the growing Refill movement and making a real difference by reducing reliance on single-use plastics. We are pleased that OUH has joined the scheme too. Every time we refill a reusable bottle, we save our own money and the planet's resources, and all those individual refills add up to a huge impact."

Visitors and staff are invited to bring along their refillable bottles and use them at OUH food and drink outlets. Bottles can also be purchased on site at the Women's Centre to raise money for Support for Sick Newborn and their Parents (SSNAP), which supports sick and premature babies from across the Thames Valley.

The water bottles are £10 each in person and can also be bought online at www.ssnap.org.uk/shop