Original story posted on the Beat (internal newsletter) by Robin Speedie, Senior Consultant, Planetary Health at Fraser Health.
Using reusable metal spoons for medications in long-term care could save $300,000 per year and prevent 34,500 kg of plastic waste – the equivalent of 400 washing machines.
Data from Oceana Canada, an independent charity established to restore Canadian oceans, suggest 2.8 million tonnes of plastic waste ends up in Canadian landfills each year. What role can Fraser Health as an organization play in addressing this problem? Staff at Ellen Sinclair Kennett Lodge in South Surrey think change can start with something as small as a spoon.
We know that action on planetary health is important to staff, medical staff and patients and residents in the communities we serve. Data from the 2024 GreenCare Survey show that 79 per cent of Fraser Health staff and medical staff believe they can decrease negative environmental impacts in their workplace and a 2023 HealthChat Survey of the region’s residents showed 85 per cent agree it is important for the health system to reduce its carbon footprint and waste.
In July 2024, staff at Ellen Sinclair Kennett Lodge embarked on a project to transition from single-use plastic to reusable metal spoons for medication rounds. The three-week pilot, completed on a 56-resident unit at the 112-bed long-term care community, explored the benefits and feasibility of switching to reusable spoons instead of their disposable counterpart. The impact has been impressive.
Three months in, the team has already prevented nearly 30,000 spoons from going to landfill on one unit alone. Metal spoons have become the norm for medication administration, with plans to spread to more units and other long-term care communities in the works. The project is an example of how a seemingly small planetary health initiative can quickly become significant when impacts are calculated over time.
If this effort were to spread to all long-term care communities in Fraser Health, we could save approximately $300,000 per year while preventing more than 15 million plastic spoons from going to landfill. And that’s just in long-term care.
This project was inspired by Fraser Health’s Planetary Health Strategy, 2023-2028 (waste reduction stream), OKR 3 (to position Fraser Health as a leader in social and environmental sustainability) and previous work conducted at Royal Columbian Hospital.
To learn more, email planetaryhealth@fraserhealth.ca.
