Local partnerships between hospitals and work integration social enterprises in Vlaams-Brabant are enhancing the recycling of medical plastics. Hospitals such as UZ Leuven, Regionaal Ziekenhuis Tienen, Algemeen Ziekenhuis Diest, and Heilig Hart Leuven are selectively collecting blue sterilization cloths. These are then processed by initiatives like Oostrem vzw and Hestia Alexianen Zorggroep, allowing them to be reused as raw material. This project, backed by the province, aims to increase capacity to approximately 24 tons per year by 2027.
The blue sterilization cloths, made of polypropylene, are inspected, folded, homogenized, and compressed into transport-ready bales after adhesive tapes and labels are removed. Only dry and clean cloths enter the recycling chain, ensuring the quality of the new raw material. This process, building on existing collaborations, makes recycling more economically viable by organizing processing close to the hospitals.
The approach, where hospitals handle selective collection and work integration social enterprises manage quality control and processing, creates small-scale circular ecosystems. This makes it economically feasible to recycle even smaller material streams. Ann Van Den Bosch, director at EnAdviS, emphasizes the importance of smart and efficient chain organization to implement circular solutions, despite higher costs compared to incineration.
Beyond ecological and economic benefits, the project offers significant social added value. Approximately 40 individuals with barriers to employment are involved daily in processing the cloths at Hestia Alexianen Zorggroep in Tienen. These tasks, performed without performance pressure, provide meaningful employment and a concrete contribution to the environment.
The processing capacity is steadily growing: from about 6 tons in 2025 to 1 ton per month in 2026. With the expansion at Heilig Hart Leuven, the goal of 15 tons per year within this partnership is targeted, bringing the regional capacity to around 24 tons per year from 2027. The accumulated knowledge forms the basis for further scaling to other plastic streams and additional healthcare institutions, with potential expansion to Halle-Vilvoorde and Brussels.
The province of Vlaams-Brabant supports this initiative with 36,000 euros through its social entrepreneurship subsidy program. Deputy Gunther Coppens highlights the necessity of reusing valuable materials and the crucial role of the social economy in creating ecological, economic, and social added value.
