Media Resources & Contact
A hospital scientist says she was blown away by the support shown for her project aimed at keeping plastic bottle lids out of landfill.
In mid-2023, Scientific Officer at NSW Health Pathology’s Taree laboratory Sandra Haydon decided she wanted to do something for the environment.
“It’s disheartening to see how much plastic waste goes to landfill,” she said.
“I’d heard of schools participating in the Lids4Kids recycling project and I wanted to give it a go at my workplace.”
Lids4Kids Australia is a national charity based in Canberra that began in 2019, aimed at creating an option for recycling plastic bottle lids that would otherwise end up in landfill.
Its founder, Tim Miller, discovered a Victorian not-for-profit organisation that was turning plastic bottle lids into mobility aids for children with disabilities. His call out for support was so successful, he had to find other uses for the lids, such as creating recycled plastic benches.
Since Lids4Kids began, it has saved more than 98 million lids from ending up in landfill.
Sandra Haydon said getting the support from her lab manager to start the lid collection project was key.
“It enabled me to gain approval from hospital executives to instigate this project, and I have to say I was flabbergasted by the response I received.
“It was wonderful to see so many people working at Manning Hospital keen to participate in this small project to reduce the amount of plastic waste going to landfill.”
After 8 months of collecting thousands of lids, Sandra has cleaned, sorted and packaged up the last batch of lids for the charity in Canberra.
She said she was unable to keep the collection going due to a change in circumstances.
But she’s encouraging anyone with an idea for a sustainability project in their workplace not to be afraid to get started.
“If you believe in a project, just give it a go,” she said.
“Reach out to others for advice and support. Sometimes, getting a different perspective can help you find a new solution to each hurdle you face.
“I’d especially like to thank all the staff at Manning Hospital for dropping off your lids to pathology over the past 8 months. The response was incredible.”
