Making a positive impact

The latest government figures show that more than 222 million tonnes of waste were produced in the UK in 2018. Just over 43 million tonnes of that was commercial and industrial waste. Around 7.3 million tonnes of all waste generated was sent for incineration and a further 8.5 million tonnes for incineration with energy recovery. Though it is difficult to estimate how much waste is generated by the dental system in the UK, NHS providers alone are thought to produce approximately 156,000 tonnes of clinical waste annually, which is incinerated or sent for alternative treatment.

Environmental impact is twofold

What does all this mean for the environment? There are two key ways in which this waste impacts the natural world. The first relates to waste items that are carelessly discarded and left to pollute the oceans and the land. You are unlikely to have escaped the many pictures that have circulated national and social media showing the mountains of plastic washed up on beaches and the ‘plastic islands’ still floating in our seas. These plastics are endangering wildlife, poisoning sea life and posing a threat to the human food chain.