Green Assist: Boosting Sustainability in Healthcare Waste

The French company Bertin Technologies designs and manufactures high-end industrial tools and instruments for scientists. Thanks to expert assistance from Green Assist, Bertin now has the framework to prepare its new Sterilwave solution for the international market.

Bertin Technologies has launched Sterilwave, a cutting-edge solution for treating infectious hospital waste directly onsite. This technology integrates microwave sterilisation with shredding processes to swiftly and safely process infected waste materials within healthcare facilities.

The Sterilwave solution represents a novel approach to onsite waste management. By converting biohazardous material into non-infectious waste, it reduces waste volume by up to 85% and weight by up to 25%, as well as minimising dedicated transportation needs since the resulting dry waste product can go in regular non-infectious waste streams.

Bertin is now focused on implementing this solution both in France and globally, as well as on finding innovative ways to reuse the final waste residue from hospitals through partnerships with various industries.

To achieve these goals, the project team partnered with Green Assist and qualified to receive free advisory support from March to June 2024. An expert in waste management from the Green Assist Roster of Experts delivered key support, dedicating 60 days to conduct field visits and produce reports.

Green Assist made important contributions to the project, including an assessment on the environmental benefits of the Sterilwave solution. The expert also ensured that there were not any negative environmental impacts (“Do No Significant Harm” (DSNH) principle) and provided guidance on how to reuse the final waste residue, ensuring adherence to relevant EU environmental policies and legislation. For pilot countries selected, Green Assist ensured that all advice was aligned with the national legislation and regulations of the countries.

Ieva Petrikaite was pleased with Green Assist’s support, noting:

"The Green Assist expert provided us with a solid theoretical and regulatory framework for further research and laid the groundwork for a future proof of concept in a selected country enabling the reuse of treated waste for a specific application."

Green Assist aims to build a pipeline for high-impact green investment projects in sectors related to biodiversity, natural capital and circular economy, as well as in non-environmental sectors. Learn more about how Green Assist can help you get free tailored support for your green project or contact us at cinea-green-assistec [dot] europa [dot] eu (cinea-green-assist[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu). To request advisory services from Green Assist, simply fill out this short form.