Recycling unavoidable clinical waste across veterinary clinics

Helping an international veterinary practice group set a permanent circular solution for veterinary practices.

An international veterinary practice group partnered with TerraCycle to address a surge in clinical waste, eventually expanding the program into a comprehensive recycling strategy across its entire UK network. Due to the clinical nature of the environment and a lack of specialized recycling solutions, unavoidable materials like PPE—alongside everyday items like blister packs and pet food pouches—were being sent to landfills or incinerated in record volumes.

Our solution and results:

• Rapid deployment: Initially introduced recycling boxes across all UK practices, specifically to capture an influx of PPE.
• Streamlined expansion: Following high staff engagement, the program was expanded to include a wider range of veterinary-specific waste.
• Visibility & training: Provided clear signage and guidelines to help clinic teams distinguish between recyclable clinical waste and hazardous waste requiring separate treatment.

The initiative evolved from a crisis response into a core pillar of the group’s environmental policy by:

• Long-term waste recycling: Kept significant volumes of waste that were previously considered non-recyclable out of landfills.
• Employee empowerment: Fostered a strong sense of pride and participation among clinic colleagues by providing a tangible way to act on their values.
• Strategic integration: Transformed recycling from a temporary measure into a permanent, visible component of the group’s broader corporate sustainability strategy.