Hospitals generate huge amounts of plastic waste every day, much of it from single-use packaging. A single 600-bed hospital can generate approximately 42 tons of sterile wrap waste each year. A consortium of Dutch companies is working on converting this waste into usable materials.
Waste management company Renewi has partnered with medical manufacturer Van Straten Medical, O&M Halyard Europe and circulation specialist GreenCycle to transform single-use sterilization wrap into high-quality 3D printing filament.
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Blue polypropylene wrap, also known as BlueWrap, is used to maintain the sterility of surgical instruments, medical equipment, and patient gowns before surgery. Traditionally, it is incinerated after one use. Under this new collaboration, the partners aim to reduce hospital waste by 15%.
From waste to filament
Turning sterile medical wrap into industrial-grade filament requires precision engineering. GreenCycl processes recovered polypropylene wrap into clean, uniform granules. Van Straten Medical extrudes these granules into GO 3D filaments at its facility in Demeern, Netherlands. The resulting material has specific thermal properties optimized for professional 3D printing.
Using this recycled material has clear environmental benefits. According to Van Straten Medical, producing one kilogram of this recycled filament reduces carbon dioxide emissions by three kilograms compared to producing virgin plastic. It also diverts valuable polymers from incinerators.
This project represents a major change in the way hospitals manage waste. Hospitals can now participate in a circular economy that keeps high-value plastics in use instead of paying high disposal fees.
The partnership relies on a sustainable business model in which hospitals act as both suppliers of waste and consumers of products. GreenCycl, which has been operating in Utrecht since 2019, already sells several products made from these recycled materials. Its portfolio includes GO-JACK utensil openers, badge holders, and office furniture.
