Health in a Handbasket

Did you know that disposable nappies account for approximately 400,000 tonnes of waste each year, representing 2-3% of household waste? Period products don't fare much better with one study indicating 200,000 tonnes of waste annually and then there's also adult incontinence products - we’re looking at 3 billion waste products annually for that. These are staggering numbers and ones we just aren't aware of.

In this episode we speak to Elze Porte and Ayse Allison who are working to reduce waste with absorbent hygiene products - that's things like nappies, period products and adult incontinence products. Hear how they're working with manufacturers, users and waste management systems to make sure we’re not adding to the landfill.

Transcription link:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/healthcare-engineering/health-handbasket-podcast/reduce-reuse-recycle-nappies-and-period-products-edition

Date of episode recording: 2024-07-18T00:00:00Z
Duration: 00:25:29
Language of episode: English
Presenter:Ferdouse Akhter
Guests: Elze Porte; Ayse Allison
Producer: Ferdouse Akhter; Shakira Crawford

What is Health in a Handbasket?

If you find the term 'healthcare engineering' a bit bamboozling, don't worry, you're not alone. 'Engineering' usually brings to mind images of bridges and buildings. Healthcare engineering is essentially using maths and science to solve healthcare problems. This covers an incredibly broad range of activities – from 3D-printed prosthetic limbs to artificial intelligence to predict cancer. At the UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering, our mission is to develop digital and medical technologies that transform lives across the globe. In the 'Health in a Handbasket' podcast series, we meet the people behind these amazing innovations and how they're making a positive difference. We chat with them about their work, what gets them out of bed in the morning, and how they go to where they are today.