Recycling medical polyvinyl chloride waste

Editor—Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), made by adding chlorine to ethylene, was first synthesised in the early 1900s. It is now one of the most manufactured plastics in the world because of its high biocompatibility, durability, low cost, and ability to be sterilised.1,2 It is used in medical equipment including i.v. fluid bags, oxygen masks and transfusion sets.3 Globally, 26% of all plastic medical equipment is made from PVC, resulting in >460,000 tonnes of plastic waste in 2021 alone.2 The production, refining and manufacturing of PVC products is energy intensive, with a total of 7.83 kg carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) emitted for every 1 kg of PVC produced.