The Plastic Prescription:
Tracing the Healthcare Industry’s Reliance on Single-Use Plastic

The healthcare industry in the 21st century has become heavily reliant on single-use plastics. This is due to a variety of factors, including financial benefits, superior prevention of cross-contamination, and the sheer durability and flexibility that plastics provide. This convenience, however, comes with significant environmental consequences. The healthcare industry’s carbon footprint is a major contributor to the climate crisis, accounting for 4.4% of global net emissions. As global awareness of plastic pollution grows, the sector is re-evaluating how it manages its waste and beginning to embrace circular principles to combat this large-scale issue.

A Look Back: Healthcare Before the Plastic Revolution

For much of the 18th to 20th centuries, the healthcare industry depended on reusable materials made from glass, ceramics, and metals. While durable, these materials served multi-use purposes, which increased the risk of cross-contamination between patients and created an unsafe environment for medical staff. Being reusable, they required intense, time-consuming, and costly decontamination processes. With the development of plastics like Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) during World War II, the healthcare industry saw a clear opportunity to mitigate costs and boost efficiency.

The Shift to Plastic: Why Did Healthcare Embrace It?

By 1960, single-use plastics had become the standard in healthcare. The shift was driven by the sterility they offered, the convenience of eliminating decontamination, and cheaper manufacturing costs compared to glass and metal.

Unmatched Sterility and Safety

Single-use plastics drastically improved patient safety. By discarding items after one use, healthcare facilities virtually eliminated the risk of cross-contamination and the spread of infection. The plastic is often sterilised during production, which further protects both medical staff and patients from contact with harmful pathogens. This is a critical consideration for managing potentially infectious biohazardous waste.

Significant Cost Efficiencies

Plastic can be mass-produced efficiently, offering a much lower cost per unit than glass or metal. Furthermore, plastic has a lower weight, which makes transportation cheaper. This cost-saving extends to the entire lifecycle, including the final clinical waste collection and disposal stages, where logistics are often priced by weight.

Superior Design Flexibility

The design flexibility of plastic was another key factor in its adoption. Materials like catheters, previously made from rigid glass, caused patient discomfort and could lead to further health complications. The malleable nature of plastic allows manufacturers to create a vast array of essential medical devices, including pipettes, sample tubes, syringes, and IV bags, with greater precision and patient comfort in mind.

The Growing Problem: The Environmental Cost of Medical Plastic

The use of plastics in healthcare has been steadily increasing, a trend that spiked dramatically with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the urgent demand for disposable masks and personal protective equipment (PPE). As medical advancements continue, the demand is set to grow.

While essential for infection control, these plastics generate a vast amount of biomedical waste. The conventional waste treatment for this material involves incineration or autoclaving, both of which release harmful carbon dioxide emissions. The remaining waste is then typically sent to landfills, creating serious concerns for our environment and water sources. To put it in perspective, the plastic waste from laboratories each year is estimated to be enough to cover Manhattan ankle-deep. The “produce, use, discard” model, while effective for hygiene, requires a fundamental rethink.