Let’s Not Waste

This will encourage everyone to get involved to take action through a ‘Let’s Not Waste’ collaborative, working more prudently and sustainably across Wales. As part of the Bevan Commission’s prudent refresh, the ‘Let’s Not Waste’ Programme will aim to have far-reaching impacts on reducing waste across health and care, which will be fundamental to a prudent and sustainable recovery.

• Reduce – products and services that are not essential

• Reuse – tools, equipment, and other resources

• Recycle – wherever possible to reduce waste and minimise the carbon footprint

It will be evolutionary and iterative to ensure we are building upon innovative ideas as they evolve. The programme will  provide a focus and concerted effort to engage people within  their workplaces and communities,  in achieving demonstrable reductions in waste. It will also identify and engage with a network of waste champions in Wales and the innovative ideas of Bevan Exemplars, to help expand and grow a wider social movement for change across health and care systems and services.

This collaborative programme aims to move away from a throw away culture and embed prudence into our overall approach to decarbonising health and care in Wales. A prudent and sustainable recovery would have knock-on effects to sustainable behaviours across our wider  communities, as well as promote better health and well-being as co-benefits of climate action. This will help provide a focus for sustainable recovery post pandemic, which professionals and the public will be able to easily relate to.

• Increase awareness – of reducing waste across health and care systems.
• Engage people – to support and promote actions across professions, organisations and networks.
• Behaviour change – design,  try  out  and  test  interventions  to  encourage  and  support  changes  to  behaviour across Wales.
• Reduce waste in key domains such as medications, PPE, equipment, food, energy, other resources.