Celebrating a Partnership Recognised for Food Waste Reduction
When a partnership is recognised for its achievements, we love being amongst the first to celebrate, and we had to share!
Our valued partner, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, alongside ourselves, have been shortlisted as a partnership for the prestigious ‘Food Waste Initiative of the Year’ award at the upcoming Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management 2025.
This well-deserved recognition highlights the Trust’s outstanding commitment to tackling food waste whilst simultaneously enhancing patient care.
TOPICS WE WILL COVER:
1 / What Is the Food Waste Initiative of the Year Award?
2 / Impressive Results in Just Five Months
3 / Why Does Food Waste Matter in Healthcare?
4 / A Strategic Partnership with Sharpsmart
5 / Looking Ahead to the Awards for Excellence
6 / Sharpsmart: The Total Waste Management Partner of Choice
What Is the Food Waste Initiative of the Year Award?
The ‘Food Waste Initiative of the Year’ award celebrates organisations that have implemented innovative and impactful strategies to minimise food waste across their operations, contributing to a more sustainable and circular economy.
For Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, this journey began in October 2024 with a clear objective: to segregate food waste from wards and restaurants, driving down waste and ultimately improving the experience for their patients.
Impressive Results in Just Five Months
The results achieved by the Trust in such a short timeframe are truly remarkable:
- 18% Reduction in food waste
- 17% Increase in recycling rate
- £11.8K (6%) Direct savings on food procurement
- £28.3K Projected annual savings
- Estimated 15.4 Tonnes of food waste eliminated annually
Why Does Food Waste Matter in Healthcare?
For healthcare professionals, the significance of tackling food waste extends beyond environmental concerns to the very core of patient care. As the 2020 Independent Review of Hospital Food emphasised, good nutrition is fundamental to patient recovery and overall well-being.
Furthermore, NHS England mandates the monitoring and reduction of food waste through the Estates Return Information Collection (ERIC) and Premises Assurance Model (PAM) data submissions, underscoring its significance within the healthcare landscape.
A Strategic Partnership with Sharpsmart
When Sharpsmart became the Total Waste Management partner for the Kent Consortium, including Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust in April 2024, strategic priorities were established to support the organisation’s patient care and journey towards Net Zero:
- Minimise waste generation
- Boost recycling efforts
- Lower carbon emissions
- Reduce costs
- Comply with NHS and government legislation
- Support enhanced patient care and experience
Sharpsmart’s Total Waste Programme Manager worked closely with the Trust’s stakeholders to map operational procedures and resource allocation. The implemented service included:
- Clearly labelled food caddies in 33 locations.
- Comprehensive staff training on segregation and data collection.
- Regular weighing of food waste after mealtimes.
- In-depth data analysis using personalised customer dashboards to identify key areas for improvement.
Turning Insights into Actions
The insights gained from the data analysis informed a series of practical actions implemented by the Catering Manager in collaboration with Sharpsmart:
- Empowered food service assistants through targeted training and local accountability.
- Optimised portion sizes using new serving spoons to reduce plate waste.
- Implemented smart food repurposing, creatively using unserved food items.
- Enhanced food presentation, improving the visual appearance of meals.
- Adopted flexible meal provision, combining planned and ad-hoc options to better meet patient needs.
- Collaborated with suppliers to review and adjust food portion packaging.
- Focused on menu alignment, planning menus tailored to specific patient groups.
Looking Ahead to the Awards for Excellence
The remarkable success achieved by Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust demonstrates the powerful impact of a data-driven, collaborative approach to waste management – being shortlisted for an award is an added bonus!
We’re thrilled to see the Trust’s hard work and dedication recognised with this award shortlisting. Their commitment to continuous improvement is further evidenced by the programme’s expansion to an additional ten consortium sites in March 2025, with the learnings from this Trust being applied across the wider network.
This story underscores the significant role that effective waste management strategies and close partnerships can play in creating a more sustainable and patient-centric healthcare system. It also serves as a compelling model for other healthcare organisations looking to reduce waste and costs.
We congratulate Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust on their well-deserved recognition and look forward to continuing to support their sustainability journey.
Sharpsmart: The Total Waste Management Partner of Choice
Whilst we’re known for specialising in healthcare waste management, we can assist you with any type of waste generated within the healthcare setting, and we go far beyond the traditional waste collection model.
Known throughout the UK for our ‘Four Walls’ approach to waste management, we provide comprehensive support, which includes:
- Waste audits: To assess your current waste generation and identify areas for improvement.
- Waste stream analysis: To identify and segregate recyclable materials from your other waste streams.
- Staff training: To educate your staff on the new recycling procedures and best practices.
- Educational materials: To provide clear and concise information for your staff and visitors.
- Industry-leading waste containment solutions: To ensure the safe and secure storage of different waste streams.
We can support you with all healthcare waste streams and help you capture all of the waste data you need to set and achieve bespoke KPIs on your route to Net Zero.
Contact us today for a free consultation and empower your facility with industry-leading total waste services.
Get in touch to learn more about what partnering with us can do for you.
Josh Glover
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