Waste Reduction in Radiology
Learn below how you can reduce your waste volume, save storage space, and thereby cut costs.
In 2023, Europe’s healthcare systems produced approximately 900,000 metric tons of single-use plastic¹ — and the trend is rising. The consequences: high disposal costs, rising CO₂ emissions, and growing pressure to take action. Radiology also generates a significant amount of waste, including from disposables and their packaging. However, there is potential to reduce waste in this area. How significant is the actual potential for savings?
We have measured the disposables used by our CT motion SPICY and will show you how you can reduce waste, save storage space, and lower disposal costs compared to a comparable injector — especially for product components that fall under the category of hazardous waste.
Practical example:
A typical CT workload consists of 220 working days per year, with 20 patients per day receiving intravenous contrast media.
This results in an annual waste volume and weight of:
- more than 6,500 liters and 280 kg for a comparable CT injector with a 24-hour multi-use system
- less than 2,000 liters and 170 kg with CT motion SPICY
Result:
Reduce annual waste by more than 4,500 liters and 116 kg
→ Reduce waste volume by up to 69% and waste weight by 41%.*
Hospitals generate significant amounts of waste. The highest standards of hygiene and patient safety are non-negotiable, but the volume of waste is enormous, and its environmental and economic consequences are increasingly coming into focus. In Europe alone (EU27 + UK), approximately 900,000 metric tons of single-use plastic were generated in healthcare facilities in 2023¹ — a material flow that causes around 5 million metric tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions² and imposes annual costs of approximately 23 billion euros on healthcare systems³.
Without targeted countermeasures, warns the 2025 report “A Prescription for Change,” these volumes could rise by nearly 50 percent by 2040⁴. Behind these figures lie complex processes: Every surgery, every infusion, every examination produces waste — from disposable gloves and IV tubing to sterile packaging.
The pressure on hospitals is growing, not only environmentally but also economically, as disposal costs rise. A shift in thinking is necessary. That is why we support hospitals in keeping waste and costs as low as possible.
*Our own survey. Data on record. Comparative analysis of waste volume and weight for CT motion SPICY and Centargo disposables, 2026
1Eunomia Research & Consulting Ltd., Systemiq (2025): A Prescription for Change: Rethinking plastics use in healthcare to reduce waste, greenhouse gas emissions, and costs. Technical Appendix 2 – Europe data. September 2025. Available online at: https://eunomia.eco/reports/a-prescription-for-change/ ↩
2Ibid. CO₂-equivalent emissions include the production, transport, and disposal of single-use plastic products in the European healthcare sector.
3Ibid. The cost calculation includes the procurement, storage, handling, and disposal of single-use plastic products in healthcare facilities.
4Ibid. Under the business-as-usual scenario, waste volumes in Europe (EU27 + UK) are projected to increase by 47% by 2040; globally (Europe + North America), the projection is 35–40%.
