New NHS recycling project with The Wombles set to save millions

We are proud to say that our pilot scheme with the University Hospitals Sussex (UHS) NHS Foundation Trust last year has led to more NHS trusts taking up our Wombles’ Reuse and Repurpose Programme.

Having saved £35,000 for UHSussex and diverting 25,000 clinical items from incineration in the first 3 months of the pilot scheme, the initiative is set to save millions every year.

Dedicated waste bins, branded with the familiar faces of The Wombles to help encourage staff to use them, have been implemented to collect non-infectious clinical waste. Transported to a nearby staff training facility, the waste has been successfully re- used in simulation settings, where non-sterile medical items are needed on a daily basis.

There are over 200 NHS simulation suites across the UK used for training staff. This initiative could transform the way they access medical equipment. The move also supports NHS England’s Net Zero by 2040 ambition and offers Trusts a practical, low-cost way to meet their sustainability goals.

The project aims to onboard 10–15 additional NHS Trusts over the next 12 months, saving approximately £525k in its first year 1 , with early interest already being shown from several regions.

“This partnership is about changing mindsets as much as materials with the help of The Wombles Community Charity,” said Julie Turner, Chair of the Sustainability Interest Group for the Association for ASPiH. “So many items end up as clinical waste simply because they can’t be used with patients – but in training, they’re invaluable. By repurposing instead of disposing, we save money, reduce waste, and create more realistic learning environments for NHS staff. “Crucially, the model requires no upfront investment, relying instead on existing materials and staff engagement. This makes it an accessible and effective sustainability solution for Trusts of all sizes – from large teaching hospitals to smaller community and ambulance services.”

Items unsuitable for training are donated to humanitarian projects such as the Peter Claver Foundation, ensuring that “nothing goes to waste unnecessarily.” This includes resus mannequins, airway equipment, catheters, cannulas and other disposables used to train staff in a local hospital in Nigeria, building their clinical competencies and ensuring patients have the highest possible care and have safe interventions.

“We were delighted to hear about the success of the NHS Wombles programme in Sussex and ambitions to roll it out nationally,” said Sasha Treharne, Community Executive at The Wombles Community Charity. “The Wombles are fiercely committed to sustainability and using their example, the NHS can more creatively repurpose what they throw away and breathe new life into discarded items.”

A sustainable future for NHS training

Before the programme, most simulation suites had no system for diverting unused items from the clinical waste stream. Equipment that was expired, opened, or unsuitable for patient use would typically be incinerated at significant financial and environmental cost.

The Wombles Community Charity partnership provides a clear alternative, cutting disposal costs while aligning with NHS England’s Green Plan and Net Zero commitments.

“Delivering realistic palliative care simulation has helped our team strengthen communication, compassion, and confidence in end-of-life care,” says Ellie Gibson, Palliative care specialist nurse. “Access to real ward equipment through The Womble Project has been invaluable — improving fidelity, sustainability, and the quality of our training.”