Sustainable Healthcare Recycling & Waste Management

The NHS England clinical waste strategy, published in March 2023, sets out NHS England’s ambition to transform the management of clinical waste and reduce carbon emissions produced from waste by 80%, by eliminating, reusing and processing it in the most cost effective and sustainable way.  

NHS England state that NHS providers produce approximately 156,000 tonnes of clinical waste – equivalent to over 400 loaded jumbo jets of waste – that is either sent to high temperature incineration or for alternative treatment. This has a significant environmental impact and is associated with high running costs and carbon emissions. 

The Sustainable Healthcare Recycling & Waste Management Framework Agreement supports you to achieve clinical waste segregation targets of 20:20:60 by 2026 through a range of new services such as waste consultancy, to support your plan, and implement your sustainable waste strategy, as well as waste re-use services, and new state-of-the-art technological solutions for on-site waste management including:  

• Pyrolysis, where heating material to a high temperature without oxygen releases the energy trapped inside it, which can then be used to heat the hospital estate.  
• Aerobic bio-digesters, a form of on-site accelerated composting, which can significantly reduce food waste taken off-site.  
• Microwave treatment, using a heat source to decontaminate various types of medical waste, which can then be managed without high-heat incineration. 

Best practice waste management reduces waste, improves compliance, manages more waste on-site, and delivers significant cost savings from lower waste volumes. This plays a crucial role in minimising harm to the environment and increasing resource utilisation, reducing carbon generated from waste, and saving taxpayers money. 

The Sustainable Healthcare Recycling & Waste Management Framework Agreement forms part of a wider solutions that focusses on, ‘future proofing estates and infrastructure’, helping to achieve NHSE estates and infrastructure targets. 

What dates is the framework agreement active?
23 October 2023 – 23 October 2025

Who can take advantage of the framework agreement?
All NHS and public sector organisations across the United Kingdom

What does this framework agreement cover?
The framework agreement provides a quick, simple, and compliant procurement route to market for sustainable waste management solutions for the NHS and the wider public sector.

How does the framework agreement support sustainable waste management?

• Developed to meet sustainability and clinical waste segregation requirements to support compliance with the new HTM 07-01 (2023 version)
• Offers waste repurposing and reuse solutions, supporting the circular economy.
• Drives cost savings and sustainability gains through Waste Consultancy Services. This includes data collection, tracking of waste, behavioural change programs to reduce costs and support waste segregation targets.
• On-site waste treatment solutions for reduced road transportation.
• Innovative technological solutions to reduce carbon footprints, including microwave solutions, pyrolysis, on-site bio digesters, and aerobic waste digesters.
• Developed to support the utilisation of waste as a resource, decreasing volumes of waste taken for off-site treatment.

The framework agreement has been structured in the following lots:

• Lot 1: Recycling and Waste Consultancy
• Lot 2: Sustainable Asset Management/Waste Re-purposing Solutions & Technology
• Lot 3.1: Clinical Healthcare Waste
• Lot 3.2: Reuseable Sharps
• Lot 4: Sanitary & Washroom Services
• Lot 5.1: Commercial & Household Waste
• Lot 5.2: Food Recycling Management Services
• Lot 5.3: Hazardous Waste
• Lot 6: Confidential Recycling & Waste Destruction & Disposal
• Lot 7.1: Recycling & Waste Minimisation Products: Bio-digesters
• Lot 7.2: Recycling & Waste Minimisation Products: Aerobic Waste Digestors
• Lot 7.3: Recycling & Waste Minimisation Products: Compactors
• Lot 7.4: Recycling & Waste Minimisation Products: Bins
• Lot 8.1: Sustainable Waste Management Technology: Pyrolysis
• Lot 8.2: Sustainable waste Management Technology: Microwave Solutions
• Lot 9: Total Recycling & Waste Management
• Lot 10.1: Barts NHS Hospital Trust: Residual & Commercial Household Waste
• Lot 10.2: Barts NHS Hospital Trust: Cardboard
• Lot 10.3: Barts NHS Hospital Trust: Food Services
• Lot 10.4: Barts NHS Hospital Trust: Clinical Waste (Containers)
• Lot 10.5: Barts NHS Hospital Trust: Non- infectious Clinical Waste
• Lot 10.6: Barts NHS Hospital Trust: Clinical waste (Lo & Hi Temp. Destruction)
• Lot 10.7: Barts NHS Hospital Trust: Feminine Hygiene Services
• Lot 10.8: Barts NHS Hospital Trust: Benchmarking & Waste Contractor Compliance
• Lot 10.9: Barts NHS Hospital Trust: On-site Waste Auditing & Behavioural Change Services
• Lot 11: Manchester NHS Trusts: Domestic Waste

What are the benefits of using this framework agreement?
DIRECT AWARD OR FURTHER COMPETITION
Provides an PCR15 compliant route to market and the flexibility to direct award to a single supplier or run a further competition saving valuable time and resources.

DEDICATED SUPPORT
Expert advice available from our team who are not afraid to roll up their sleeves to get things moving.

QUALITY OF SERVICE PROVISION
The experience, expertise and quality commitment of suppliers is assessed during the tender evaluation, with performance and user satisfaction monitored on an ongoing basis.

TOTAL RECYCLING & WASTE MANAGEMENT
The framework provides the ability to source all your requirements as part of a single solution for recycling and waste management.

CONTRACT FLEXIBILITY
Users can embed their own established ways of working into the process to ensure it aligns with their own internal governance.

COMPETITIVE PRICING
Pricing options and capped rates have been secured with structured and controlled price review provisions from year 2 to ensure our users have cost certainty.

Our Customer Framework Agreement Portal allows our customers to:

• Browse our range of framework agreements, with instant access to all associated documents.
• Search by keyword to easily find the information you’re looking for.
• Access support from our team of experts, who can advise on further competitions and answer any questions you might have.