Resource management company, Veolia, has joined the NHS Scotland Recyclates and General Waste Management Framework to provide health boards with access to compliant and comprehensive general waste and recycling services

Working with the Common Services Agency, this strategic placement – which will run for five years – will drive efficiency through optimised handling, increased recycling, and managing treatment of complex waste streams.

As a procurement organisation, The Common Services Agency – more commonly known as NHS National Services Scotland – drives improvements and increases commercial efficiency across health, social care, and public sectors across Scotland.

Supported by Veolia’s extensive treatment and collection infrastructure, the service covers all aspects of the waste management process, from the initial collection at the point of production, on-site transfer, and consolidation to offsite transportation, treatment, and disposal.

Waste streams will be tracked by Veolia’s end-to-end, cloud-based system that will ensure compliance and traceability through the complete cycle from enquiry to treatment or disposal, and is designed to cover more than 100,000 different waste profiles.

In addition to helping organisations on the framework to meet compliance requirements, Veolia will also be able to help them improve their own sustainability by reducing the impact of virgin material use.

And Veolia’s Hazardous Waste services will be available to all organisations that are part of the framework, including laboratories, hospitals, and outpatient clinics and will help NHS Scotland adapt to waste legislation changes.

All hazardous waste streams will be optimised and centralised at Falkirk, to help reduce carbon emissions from transport.

The service will be supported by Veolia’s mobile chemist service, Chempac, for segregation, labelling, packing, collection, treatment, and disposal of hazardous and laboratory chemical wastes, to ensure compliance and safety for customers.

This will enable correct classification, storage, and movement in accordance with local geographical legislation, and provide all the required regulatory documents for pre-acceptance and disposal.

Following a thorough analysis, the waste streams will undergo appropriate treatment at Veolia’s specialist facilities, where they will be processed according to the highest level of the waste hierarchy.

Commenting on this latest agreement, Adam Wylie, managing sirector (commercial) at Veolia, said: “The new framework agreement underpins our commitment to delivering operational excellence with NHS Scotland, as we support them on its journey to net zero carbon by 2040.

“Veolia has a long history with NHS Scotland delivering energy, decarbonisation and facilities management solutions, so this new framework agreement underpins our unwavering commitment to delivering operational excellence with NHS Scotland, as we support it on its journey to net zero.

“We look forward to partnering with these organisations for many years to come and advancing the sustainability of healthcare.”