6 Dec 2023
Developers of the VetCycle programme say it enables veterinary businesses to reuse a wider range of products that can’t be recycled through regular methods.
Allister Webb
Job Title
A recycling company has unveiled a new initiative that it says can help practices to reuse more of the waste they generate.
TerraCycle claims its VetCycle programme allows veterinary professionals and others who work with animals to sustainably dispose of materials including PPE, food and medicine packaging, and other equipment.
And one of the UK’s largest veterinary care providers said the programme had already become a major part of its environmental strategy.
The system works through a range of Zero Waste Boxes that businesses can have delivered to them to fill with waste that cannot be recycled through traditional methods.
Once filled, the company sorts the waste, which is turned into items such as outdoor furniture and decking, playgrounds, benches or watering cans instead of being incinerated or sent to landfill.
TerraCycle Europe general manager Julien Tremblin said: “A busy day at a vet clinic, animal shelter, kennels or pet grooming business can generate a tremendous amount of waste.
“We developed VetCycle to address this waste issue and provide a simple and convenient way for pet care professionals to rethink their waste disposal practices, and divert this waste from landfill and incineration by instead recycling it.”
Hannah James – VetPartners’ head of environment, social and governance – estimated her company had saved more than 14 tonnes of waste from landfill or incineration since it started using the boxes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said: “The Zero Waste Boxes are an important feature of our sustainability strategy, providing a solution for much of the waste generated by veterinary practice that isn’t hazardous and yet isn’t widely accepted for recycling.”
More details about the scheme are available on the TerraCycle website.
