Small change, big impact: shrinking pot size to save our planet

15 Jan 2026

The Endoscopy team, led by Murdoch Head of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy, Dr Oliver Waters, and Clinical Nurse Carla Hazelgrave, has taken a huge step towards environmental sustainability by moving from 70mL histopathology pots to smaller 25mL pots for samples.

It might sound like a small change, but the impact is enormous. With approximately 41,000 pots used each year, using the smaller pot saves an estimated 26 kilograms of plastic and over 700 litres of formalin from being incinerated each year, just at Murdoch.

“These pots are used in huge numbers — and every single one eventually gets incinerated,” said Dr Waters.

“By reducing their size, we’re cutting down on waste, lowering our exposure to formalin, and proving that sustainability and high-quality care can go hand in hand.”

As of 16 February, the smaller pots have been adopted by all pathology providers who supply to Murdoch. To support Murdoch’s implementation, Jenny Barham from GI Pathology generously donated six metal racks designed to stabilise the new containers. Thanks to this collaboration, Murdoch is proudly leading the way in showing how achievable environmental sustainability can be in health care.

“Nurses and doctors have both been fantastic,” Dr Waters said.

“They’ve adapted to using the smaller pots quickly, and once they understood why we were making the change, they were 100 per cent on board.

“It’s great to see everyone pulling together to make a difference because there is so much work to be done in the space of environmental sustainability.

“I’m hoping this is just the start of a number of initiatives in endoscopy that we can implement to make a difference - including reusable scope buttons and reducing sterile bottled water usage.”

The benefits extend beyond Murdoch, with interest in the histopathology pot initiative spreading to other hospitals including Peel and Midland. Dr Waters is hopeful that the change will soon be rolled out across the St John of God network, and even nationally.

“The quote that resonates with me is 'There’s no such thing as ‘away’. When we throw anything away, it must go somewhere' [Annie Leonard, executive of Greenpeace, USA],” Dr Waters said.

“I encourage all clinicians and caregivers to look around their work environments and consider what changes we could make to reduce waste and improve care.

“If we can reduce what ends up in the environment, even by something as small as a pot, we should.”

A small pot, a big step, and a proud example of how St John of God Murdoch Hospital caregivers and doctors are helping to protect both people and the planet.