Introduction: The volume of medical waste has increased in line with increasing medical, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and large joint arthroplasty is a major contributor. Demand for landfill sites due to increasing household, industrial and hospital waste loads, have made the current situation untenable.

Methods: A prospective observational study of the waste from non contaminated packaging in consecutive joint replacements was undertaken. The total weight and volume of waste, the cost of disposal, and percentage and constituents of recyclable items were recorded for each case.

Current costs and methods of local waste disposal were also investigated.

Results: The average non-contaminated waste from a primary joint replacement is 5.2 kg and less than 1% is non-recyclable. Paper waste constitutes 57%, plastic waste 36%, cardboard waste 16% and metallic waste < 1%. Landfill costs are between £60–70 per tonne with recent and projected increases in landfill taxes.

Revenue generated from recycling paper is between £50–80 per tone and plastic waste between £150–180 per tonne.

Conclusions: Currently all potentially recyclable waste from common orthopaedic procedures is going to landfill. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle are the cornerstones of waste management. Medical organisations and staff need to understand how best to segregate waste and take advantage of opportunities for reuse and recycling.

The introduction of a local or national recycling policy would make a definite impact on the environment, as well as potentially saving money.