Workshop launches toxics-free, zero-waste hospital drive

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The Philippine Healthcare and Mercury Wastes Management Project concluded a three-day national workshop in Quezon City on Jan. 15, 2026, stepping up efforts for toxics-free, zero-waste hospitals.

Held from Jan. 13–15, 2026, the workshop gathered over 100 participants from partner hospitals, national and local government agencies, and civil society organizations.

Launched in December 2023, the HCWM Project aims to improve healthcare waste management in the Philippines by reducing the release and emissions of unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutants, including dioxins and furans, during healthcare waste treatment.

The project also aims to ensure the safe handling and disposal of mercury stockpiles in healthcare facilities.

The five-year project is being implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Environmental Management Bureau, funded by the Global Environment Facility and executed in partnership with civil society organization BAN Toxics.

At a press conference during the workshop, the project launched its Toxics-Free Hospitals Campaign, which introduces interventions including improved waste segregation, reduction of single-use plastics, promotion of reusable face masks and other PPE, adoption of low- or zero-emission waste treatment technologies, and capacity-building on environmentally sound management of infectious and other healthcare wastes.

The launch coincided with International Zero Waste Month and the 25th anniversary of Republic Act No. 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act enacted on Jan. 26, 2001, which provides a national framework for integrated solid waste management based on resource conservation and recovery.

“Promoting toxics-free and proper waste initiatives in healthcare facilities and beyond supports sustainable practices, encourages responsible production and consumption, and requires collaboration across government, industry, and communities to protect public health and the environment,” OIC Assistant Secretary for Environment and EMB Director Jacqueline A. Caancan said.

A highlight of the press conference was the signing of a memorandum of agreement between DENR-EMB, represented by Caancan, and the Department of Health–Health Facility Development Bureau, represented by its Director Dr. Melissa Sena, to formalize inter-agency collaboration in implementing the project.

As part of the campaign, the project unveiled “Nurse Susie,” a character promoting environmental sustainability in healthcare by encouraging rejection of single-use plastics, adoption of reusables and awareness of toxic chemicals in healthcare waste.

The character serves as a guide for the campaign’s 4Cs framework—Change old habits, Cut plastics, Commit to reuse, and Champion sustainability.

According to Jam Lorenzo, BAN Toxics deputy executive director and the HCWM Project’s manager, cutting plastic use, including single-use plastics, is a key intervention to reduce potential sources of toxic chemical emissions from healthcare waste.

“Plastic wastes contain a wide range of chemicals, which, if mismanaged, can leach into air, water, and soil. When burned, they may generate unintentional persistent organic pollutants (uPOPs), such as dioxins and furans, due to their chlorine content,” Lorenzo added.

The press release cited the World Health Organization in noting that dioxins and furans are highly toxic, persistent pollutants that bioaccumulate in organisms and biomagnify up the food chain, creating long-term risks to human health and the environment.

It said these uPOPs can form during burning or improper treatment of chlorine-containing wastes, including chlorinated plastics and residues from chlorine-based disinfectants used in healthcare settings.

A waste audit report presented during the workshop found plastics accounted for over 70% of total waste composition in three project partner hospitals.

Conducted last year in partnership with Healthcare Without Harm Southeast Asia, the audit covered Cagayan Valley Medical Center, Eastern Visayas Medical Center, and Quirino Memorial Medical Center as part of efforts to develop a healthcare waste generation calculation tool.

Plastics made up 77% of total waste at Cagayan Valley Medical Center, 78% at Eastern Visayas Medical Center, and 84% at Quirino Memorial Medical Center, with much of the plastic coming from patient-care and daily-use disposables.

The audit said sanitary products, infectious materials such as cotton and gauze, and medical textiles including aprons, masks, and gloves make up over half of total plastic waste.

Non-medical items, including foodware and bottles, also contribute significantly, underscoring how hospital clients, visitors and the general public add to overall plastic waste in healthcare facilities.

“There is a pressing need to explore alternative materials and reusable systems that maintain infection control standards while reducing waste volume. The introduction of reusable PPE, washable medical textiles, and durable patient linens could significantly minimize the dependency on single-use plastics in hospitals,“ the HCWH report recommends.

Beyond waste composition, the workshop presented two technical assessments intended to guide future interventions.

The first assessment, led by policy expert Atty. Josiah David Quising, reviewed existing policies and regulations on healthcare waste management, identified gaps and recommended a sustainable, rights-based regulatory framework.

The second assessment, conducted by waste management expert Engr. Gerardo Mogol, examined current waste handling, treatment and disposal practices to support recommendations on environmentally sound technologies and non-burn treatment methods.

The workshop also welcomed three new partner hospitals from Mindanao—Caraga Regional Hospital, Northern Mindanao Medical Center, and Southern Philippines Medical Center—bringing the project’s total to six partner hospitals across six regions.

“Moving forward, we are confident that with the previous year’s project outputs, we are well on our way to strengthening the country’s healthcare waste management systems, as intended by the project. It will be a clear demonstration of how efforts toward inclusive and sustainable industrial development can help value chains maximize the health-environment nexus and decouple environmental degradation from economic growth toward sustainable prosperity.” said UNIDO Country Representative Teddy Monroy.

Monroy said the project contributes to UNIDO’s Country Programme in the Philippines and advances the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3 on good health and well-being, SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation, SDG 12 on responsible consumption and production, and SDG 9 on industry, innovation, and infrastructure.

“Through the continuing collaboration of government, the health sector, civil society, and communities, we will drive change toward cleaner, safer, and sustainable healthcare waste management systems.”