CLAIRE LANE Clinical Nurse and Founder and CEO of Save Our Supplies
Save Our Supplies Repurposing clean medical waste
“In the first six months of 2021, we have saved over a million dollars’ worth of supplies which have now been sent to developing countries.”
Australian hospitals throw out close to $100 million
desperate need of better health care. We not only
dollars’ worth of clean, useable supplies every
help ‘save the planet’, but help people in need at
year, simply because they don’t meet Australia’s
the same time.
very high medical standards. This waste not only
Australia’s high standards of medical care mean
costs the hospitals significant waste removal fees,
that once packaging is opened and the contents
but also contributes to tonnes of landfill each
are no longer sterile, the remaining unused, clean
year. These ‘waste’ items however are clean and
supplies cannot be used and they are simply
can be used in countries that don’t have the same
dumped. Similarly, instruments and equipment
medical standards as Australia.
are thrown out every few years despite still being
My name is Claire Lane, founder and CEO of
usable. As a theatre nurse here in Brisbane I was
Save Our Supplies (SOS) and I started SOS to
appalled by this waste and founded SOS to address
address the enormous waste that is occurring in
the issue.
our hospitals. SOS is a Not-For- Profit charity that
Our business model is simple. We supply
has developed an innovative and cost-effective
special collection bins in the operating theatres
way of eliminating clean medical waste in our
of hospitals. Hospital staff place clean, unused
hospitals and repurposing it so it can be used by
medical supplies and equipment into the SOS
people in
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The Health Advocate • NOVEMBER 2022
