Waste disposal is an issue that affects us all. Medical waste disposal has posed even more difficulties with the appearance of needles, syringes, and other similar items on our beaches. The amount and toxicity of medical waste has increased in line with increasing medical facilities and diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Demand for landfill sites and increasing household and hospital waste loads, have made the current situation untenable. New thinking and new strategies must be employed.

There is significant waste production in the operating department during a primary total hip arthroplasty. A prospective observational study of the waste from packaging and non-clinical materials in consecutive total hip replacements was undertaken. The total weight and volume of waste, the cost of disposal and percentage of recycled items were recorded for each case. Inappropriate segregation of waste was recorded and the hazards involved are discussed.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle are the cornerstones of waste management. Medical staff need to understand how best to segregate waste and take advantage of opportunities for reuse and recycling. We must revisit the packaging of implants, the use of recycled paper.

We did not inherit our environment from our parents; we are only minding it for our children.