Our Commitment to Environmental Sustainability

Stericycle is committed to protecting the health and well-being of the people and places around us safely, responsibly, and sustainably.

Stericycle Global Environmental Sustainability Highlights

At Stericycle, we deliver solutions and drive innovations that protect the environment, people, and public health. We do business the right way, not just the easy way. This includes working to create a more sustainable, shared future. Our innovative solutions make a difference in people’s lives, communities, and our planet by protecting their health and well-being. Learn more in our Corporate Social Responsibility Overview.

We deliver essential sustainability services that protect the public from harmful waste, and help the healthcare industry make progress towards sustainability and climate goals. Our services include diverting medical waste from landfills, and alternative use opportunities that lead to greater security and well-being around the world. We recognize that sustainability is a continuous pursuit. No matter how much we achieve, there is always more that can be done tomorrow. Our challenge and our responsibility every day is to make a difference by protecting what matters.

No matter how much we achieve, there is always more that can be done tomorrow. Our challenge and our responsibility every day is to make a difference by protecting what matters and part of that promise is our commitment to achieving net zero across our UK business and family of brands by 2045. Our UK Carbon Reduction Plan sets out our roadmap to net zero. 

590,000 tonnes of medical waste treated, helping to protect the public from potentially infectious material.

411,000 tonnes of paper shredded and recycled, helping to safeguard our customers’ confidential information.

46,000 tonnes of plastic diverted from landfills through the use of reusable sharps waste and pharmaceutical waste containers as compared to single-use containers.

25,000 tonnes of pharmaceutical waste treated prior to disposal, helping to ensure that active pharmaceutical ingredients do not end up in waterways. 

 Source: Stericycle global data, 2023, normalized to exclude the impact from divested businesses.

Sustainability with Shred-it® Services

Our Shred-it Secure Information Destruction Service supports a circular economy. We are proud to provide a valuable source of paper for recycling into high-demand products while also purchasing products made from recycled content. Recent highlights in Shred-it services:

  • In 2023, Shred-it shredded and recycled approximately 411 million kilograms of paper.
  • The material used to manufacture our sturdy and secure Shred-it document collection consoles features 100% recovered and recycled fibers.
  • The document destruction transport bins used in transporting secure information for destruction during collection are molded from 100% recycled HDPE plastic.

Eco-Conscious, Safe, and Convenient Sharps Waste Disposal

In 2023, Stericycle and our client-partners diverted 46 million kilograms  of plastic from entering landfills through the use of reusable sharps containers. Stericycle was a pioneer in sustainable medical waste disposal and continues to this day to innovate safe, compliant, and eco-conscious solutions that protect the team members, patients, and communities of healthcare organizations around the world.

 

Supporting The NHS’ Efforts to Reduce Plastic Waste

The National Health Service (NHS), the largest single healthcare network in the world, has committed to be a net zero carbon footprint health system by 2040. As part of that commitment, NHS has pledged to reduce the environmental damage caused by plastic waste.

 

Stericycle’s Sharps Management Service, also known as Bio Systems Sharps Management provides hospitals with sharps containers that can be reused up to 600 times as an alternative to single-use, disposable sharps containers.

 

Between November 2012 and December 2020, NHS facilities across England have diverted 7,715 metric tonnes of single-use plastic from incineration by using reusable sharps containers.