Green Tips for Ostomates

When you use stoma bags it can be a challenge to be environmentally friendly so, this World Environment Day we’ve put together a few green tips for everyone with a stoma.

Reduce

Disposable wipes are a godsend but not all of them are biodegradable and can end up in landfills where they take a long time to break down. Another option, is to use washable cloths to clean your stoma and the area around it where you’re able. Obviously sometimes only a disposable wipe will do but reducing the amount you use can make a difference.

The right fit

Picking the right bag and making sure it fits correctly means less leaks and less changes. Talking to your Stoma Care Nurse can give you an idea about what options there are for you and you can sample different bags to see which one suits best. We also offer a pouch cutting service so that you’ll receive the perfect fit.

Use sparingly

With stoma accessories a little can go a long way so, when it comes to adhesive removers and barrier film use only what you need. You only need a small amount of CliniPeel medical adhesive remover to easily lift the adhesive on your stoma bag. CliniPeel and many other CliniMed sprays use bag-on-valve technology which uses an internal bag to hold the solution and it's just compressed air that provides the pressure instead of a propellant. So, no extra chemicals, no cold sensation and no wastage as bag-on-valve means that 99% of the product is able to be used and the spray can be used at any angle.

In good company

Use products and services from brands that value the environment. SecuriCare and our sister company CliniMed are both ISO14001 accredited. This means we do everything we can to minimise the impact we have on the environment. We make every effort to ensure that the packaging we use is as recyclable as possible. We’re also looking into ways to reduce the amount of packaging we use and switching to paper instead of plastic tape. We’re always looking to decrease our CO² emissions introducing electric cars for our staff, a cycle to work scheme and replacing strip lights with LEDs in our warehouses. All of our deliveries are made by DPD who are striving to make each parcel drop carbon neutral.

Remember, when it comes to the environment, every little helps and together we can make a difference.