A new study reveals that Irish maternity hospitals are discarding over €100,000 worth of baby formula each year, contributing to significant waste and carbon emissions.
Irish maternity hospitals are pouring more than €100,000 worth of baby formula down the drain each year, a new study has revealed. Researchers at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) found that an average of 4.7 litres of formula was being dumped at the hospital every day – equating to 23,568 full 70ml bottles per annum, costing €12,020.
They calculated that €108,370 worth of baby formula ends up being poured down the drain throughout the Irish maternity system each year, and that 170 tonnes of CO2 emissions were required to produce this. In a new study titled 'Crying Out Over Spilt Milk', the medical professionals said 70ml and 90ml single-use formula bottles were used at CUMH, and an average of 27ml was left in each bottle after feeding. A total of 13 per cent of used bottles still had more than 70 per cent of their contents inside when they were dumped, while some 40 per cent of dumped bottles were still around 40 per cent full. The authors of the report, which was published in the latest edition of the Irish Medical Journal, noted that infant formula was an ultra-processed food with a large carbon footprint, and healthcare accounted for five per cent of global carbon emissions. They suggested that strategies to reduce waste of baby formula included encouragement of breastfeeding, decanting formula into sterile bottles from larger containers, use of powder milk, and appealing to suppliers to reduce the size of bottles to 40ml or 50ml. 'Phasing out free supply of RTU infant formula bottles in Ireland’s maternity units is an obvious way to reduce the hospital’s carbon footprint as well as reduce cost,' they wrot
WASTE BABY FORMULA CARBON EMISSIONS SUSTAINABILITY HEALTHCARE
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